Forty telecentres in Northern Province [February 09 2013]

The ICT Agency of Sri Lanka has formally opened applications to set up 40 Nenasala or telecentres in the Northern Province as part of the agency’s continuing efforts to bridge the digital divide in the country.

Telecentres, also known as Community e-centres, are public sites often situated in remote areas that enable people to gather information, create, learn and communicate with others by using the ICT tools provided.

It gives the community access to ICT-based equipment and services such as computers with internet access, printers, e-mail and other collaborative applications.

They feature a broad range of services and applications aimed at catering to the needs of the community at affordable prices.

Examples of services available in telecentres are ICT skills training, information awareness campaigns, telemedicine and many others.

In Sri Lanka, the initiative to roll out the Nenasalas stemmed from President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s vision to extend the reach of ICT to even the most far-flung villages in the country. At present, there are 692 Nenasalas spread islandwide.

Applications to set up the telecentres are open to rural development societies, women’s associations, sports clubs, public libraries, organisations in charge of places of worship and social groups committed to village development.

- futuregov.asia