Battlefields turn paddy fields - Lalith Weeratunga

Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga said at the launch of an online /SMS facility enabling ETF members to know their ETF balance that "today some people have forgotten the difficult conditions that prevailed during height of terrorism.

Things have changed now. What were battlefields then have now become paddy fields. Instead of cumbersome travelling today people move about freely anywhere wielding communication tools such as phones, iPhones and i-Pads."

The ICT Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) and the Employees' Trust Fund Board (ETFB) joined hands recently in launching a facility for more ICT benefits for the people. The facility, which the two institutions also implement together, enables any ETF member to know his ETF balance or claim application status online or via SMS.

Explaining the facility ICTA sources said: "To know your ETF Balance or ETF Claim Application Status online or SMS: First register yourself for the relevant e-Service through your employer, then if it is to know the ETF balance send an SMS using a special short code to the Government Information Centre (GIC) - 1919 as follows: relevant ETF member's name.

Weeratunge pointed out the vast positive difference between 'then' and 'now' and the root cause of that difference: "When President Mahinda Rajapaksa was Prime Minister, he had a wide understanding about how important ICT was for the country's development.

Based on this understanding the President launched the Nenasala project in 2005. At that time the ICT literacy rate of the country was 3 per cent. Today it has surpassed 50 percent.

ICTA has done a silent service to raise the standard of life of the people of this country to a higher level through ICT.

Our aim is to have their tasks carried out without any hassle for them of going to Government offices.

The facility launched today is a step in that endeavour. Today there is an awakening in the country from all quarters.

The President was able to end terrorism and restore peace in the country.

As we recently travelled in the Yal Devi train we saw with our own eyes how the battle fields of wartime Jaffna have become paddy fields today.

The President pointed this out even to the foreign delegates who participated in the journey.

During that journey we witnessed almost everyone on either side of the rail track having a mobile phone in his hand.

Some even had i-phones and i-pads.

This shows how the standard of life of these people had changed.