Microsoft hails President’s ICT policy towards development
Saturday, 13 December 2014 00:42
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The prize money and software for the Bill and Melinda Gates Award, won by the ‘Nenasala’ Project of Sri Lanka, was presented to President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees recently.
The presentation was made during a courtesy call Microsoft Asia Pacific President Cesar Cenudars had with President Mahinda Rajapaksa last Tuesday.
The ‘Nenasala’ Project won the Best Rural IT Project Award this year, being selected first out of 150 projects from 110 countries.
Accordingly, Sri Lanka received the international Bill and Melinda Gates Access to Learning Award as well as a cash prize of $ 1 million dollars and $ 2.3 million worth of software.
The prize money and software donation for the award were handed over to the founder of ‘Nenasala’, President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The ‘Nenasala’ project was launched by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2005 and currently 985 ‘Nenasala’ rural ICT Centres function throughout the country.
Microsoft President Cesar Cenudars said that as a result of the ‘Nenasala’ Program, Sri Lanka’s ICT sector had made huge progress. Microsoft would come forward without hesitation to make donations like this in the future as well, Cenudars affirmed.
In addition, Microsoft also hopes to increase its investment in Sri Lanka’s ICT sector.
Selecting the ‘Nenasala’ project for the award, Microsoft founder Bill Gates earlier had paid a glowing tribute to President Mahinda Rajapaksa for empowering the lives of a large number of people, especially those from rural areas, through the use of ICT.
The software donated will be made use of for three years at Nenasalas.
Speaking at the occasion, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said that the prize money would be used for Nenasala infrastructure empowerment.
In his role as Microsoft Asia Pacific President, Cesar leads Microsoft’s operation in a region which covers 12 subsidiaries in 39 territories and countries and more than 7000 employees and over 100,000 partners.
Apart from ‘Nenasala’, the Microsoft Asia Pacific Chief expressed his views on investing in Sri Lanka’s ICT sector as well as the ‘Smart City’ Project.
Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga, Telecommunication and Information Technology Ministry Secretary Gotabaya Jayaratne, ICT Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) Chairman Professor P. W. Epasinghe, ICTA Chief Executive Officer Reshan Dewapura, ICTA Director and Legal Advisor Jayantha Fernando and ICTA Director and ‘Nenasala’ Program Head Athula Pushpakumara were also present at the occasion.
