Nenasalas win national recognition
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Deepika Priyadarshani receives the Professor V. K. Samaranayake
Memorial Award from Minister Ranjit Siyambalapitiya. ICTA
Chairman, Prof. P. W. Epasinghe looks on. |
The ICT Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) held the National Nenasala
Felicitation Gold Award 2013, the Nenasala Pranama Swarna Sammana,
recently to recognise the service rendered to the country by Nenasala
owners and operators.
The Balangoda Nenasala in the Ratnapura district secured the topmost
award, the Nenasala Pranama Swarna Sammana.
The next top award, the Professor V. K. Samaranayake Memorial Award
was won by the Sooriyawewa Nenasala in the Hambantota district.
Nenasala owners Udesh Malikaratne and Deepika Priyadarshani received
the awards from Telecommunication and IT Minister Ranjit Siyambalapitiya.
Twenty awards were awarded at district level to 'the best Nenasala of
the district'.
There were 19 merit awards and in addition there was a Nenasala
community award which was won by Kamal Chaturanga Gamage.
Chief guest, Minister Ranjit Siyamabalapitya said that the Nenasala
project takes ICT to the people. Carrying out the Nenasala project was
not an easy task. It was complex and had its share of problems. But due
to ICTA pioneering the difficult task, the Nenasala projects today stand
tall not only in Sri Lanka but internationally.
ICTA, CEO, Reshan Dewapura called upon Nenasala owners and operators
to make use of resources to obtain the best results. The success of the
project is proved by the presence here of owners and operators of nearly
700 Nenasalas.
"According to a global survey, the Nenasala project is a model for
the world in telecentres. According to another survey more than 200,000
people use the Nenasalas every month. Today the Nenasala is popular. It
is used by farmers, fishermen, the self-employed, the private sector,
schoolchildren, teachers, vegetable vendors and foreign employment
seekers on a regular basis.
It has become more useful with the link it has to the Lanka Gate and
the Lanka Payment Portal," an ICTA spokesman said.
The launch of the book 'Nenasala: The Sri Lankan telecentre
experience' by Shadrach Basheerhamad in English, along with the Sinhala
and Tamil versions also took place. |
