'ICT literacy rate reaches 50 percent'

The ICT literacy rate that was 4% when President Mahinda Rajapaksa assumed office in 2005, is now 50 percent, said Telecommunication and Information Technology Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya at the launch of 11 Nenasalas (wisdom outlets) in the Kurunegala and Puttalam districts recently.

He said that this was due to the contribution the ICT Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) in implementing the Mahinda Chinthana Policy of the Government.

The Nenasalas are equipped with modern ICT facilities including internet. With this launch, the number of Nenasalas islandwide has increased to 790.

ICTA sources said that it is significant that 11 Nenasalas were inaugurated in one day and it is hoped that by the end of the year the target of 1,000 Nenasalas will be met.

Minister Siyambalapitiya said that of the four percent who were ICT literate in 2005, three percent were from Colombo and only one percent was from rural areas.

The flagship project was the 1,000 Nensala project implemented by ICTA. This was carried out on a concept of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to make the dividends of ICT accrue to all people, the Minister said.