Battlefields become paddy fields: Lalith Weeratunga

Monday, 10 November 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Instant ETF balance and claim request status information “Today some people have forgotten the difficult conditions that prevailed during wartime. 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.” Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga expressed these views at the launch of an online/SMS facility enabling ETF members to know their ETF balance and claim application status in Colombo recently.

Launch with a click (from left): Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga, ICTA e-Services Project Manager Kamal Liyanage, ETFB Acting Additional General Manager J.M.S.B. Udugama, ETFB Working Director G. Tissakuttiarachchi, ETFB Chairman K.M.A. Godawatte and ICTA Chairman, Peradeniya University Chancellor and Senior Presidential Advisor Prof. P.W. Epasinghe The ICT Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) and the Employees’ Trust Fund Board (ETFB) joined hands recently (31) 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. Modus operandi Explaining the modus operandi of the facility ICTA sources stated: “To know your ETF Balance or ETF Claim Application Status online or SMS: (1) register yourself for the relevant e-Service through your employer, then if it is to know the ETF balance (1.2) send an SMS using a special short code to the Government Information Centre (GIC) – 1919 as follows: ETF<space>BLC<space>relevant ETF member’s name. If it is to know (2) the claim application status, (2.2) send an SMS using a special short code to the Government Information Centre (GIC) – 1919 as follows: ETF<space>CHK<space>claim application reference number. In both cases send the SMS to 1919 as follows: ETF<pthrough any telephone network or access the relevant ETF e-Service through www.srilanka.lk or www.etfb.lk.”

At the head table (from left): ETFB Acting Additional General Manager J.M.S.B. Udugama, ETFB Chairman K.M.A. Godawatte, Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga and ICTA Chairman, Peradeniya University Chancellor and Senior Presidential Advisor Prof. P.W. Epasinghe, ICTA CEO Reshan Dewapura and ICTA Re-engineering Government Program Director Wasantha Deshapriya Resurgence Speaking further on the occasion the Presidential Secretary pointed out the vast positive difference between ‘then’ and ‘now’ and the root cause of that difference: “When the current President Mahinda Rajapaksa was then the 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%. Today it has exceeded 50%. ICTA has done a huge 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 the cruel war and restore peace in the country. As we recently travelled in the ‘Yarl 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 train track having a mobile phone in his hand. Some even had in their hands i-phones and i-pads. This shows how the standard of life of these people has changed. Smiling faces and one-stop service Expressing his views on this occasion, ICTA Re-engineering Government Program Director Wasantha Deshapriya said: “The President constantly advises that the Government employees should ensure that the people who come to Government offices return home smiling. For this it is important to make the public sector efficient. By now a number of steps have been taken for leveraging the public sector with ICT. Even the international community has recognised the progress the country has made through ICT. Our next target is to use ICT and provide from a single location the services rendered by several Government institutions. 100% transparency public can view On this occasion ETFB chairman K.M.A. Godawatta also addressed the gathering. The ETFB Chairman said that he looked forward to have all ETFB financial entailments transparent and viewable by the public online through the help of ICT.