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| Sunday, 7 December 2003 |
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ICT a catalyst for economic development by Elmo Leonard All well-wisher nations and donor countries are eager that the people of Sri Lanka accrue the highest benefits from ICT, chairman Infotel Lanka Prof. V K Samaranayake, said at the inauguration of the 5th International Information Technology Conference, IITC 2003, held in Colombo last week. The optimum use of ICT was necessary for the betterment of the Sri Lankan economy. To achieve this, Sri Lanka must make the best use of the world outside, Prof, Samaranayake said. IITC 2003 brought together some of the world renowned authorities in the field of ITC, when 25 internationally referred papers were presented. Many African national students were among the participants. Some of the papers presented were on topics of interest related to, education, medical, legal, financial, banking, communications, security service, trading, shipping and transport sectors, both public and private. Prof, Samaranayake recounted that IICT began in 1992, as the first INFOTEL conference, and thereafter held biennially. From 1997, it began as the first international IT conference. IICT, which brings together researchers and academia of the information and communication technology had since 1992, the approval of successive governments, Prof. Samaranayake said. ICT helps in the capacity building of the people of Sri Lanka and the eSri Lanka programme was initiated by this government to make it a reality. Chief guest on the occasion, Arthur C Clarke, posed the question, whether artificial intelligence was possible. Clarke, then quoted Marvin Minesky, the father of artificial intelligence, who is credited to have said: "I am a machine and I think." Singaporean, Dr. Ms Chong Yoke Sin, spoke on `Delivery of citizen services: the Singapore experience.' She said that in e-government, Sri Lanka had much to learn from the Singapore experience, following the path fread by that island city . Singapore, is so much committed to e-government, it is determined that every service to the citizens of that nation should be effected with ICT. In Singapore, salaries are paid without a single paper being issued, and their court procedures are all computerised. Minister of Economic Reform, Science and Technology, Milinda Moragoda, said that e-Sri Lanka, being a part of the `Regaining Sri Lanka' programme would have to play its role in the economic progress of the country. |
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