Projects launched at ICTA stall at Buttala Deyata Kirula bring lasting blessings

Contrary to the often observed scenario where events that are full with fanfare end with no ongoing positive results, Deyata Kirula held at Buttala has shown results that help people beyond all expectation. Already a Rs. 10 billion investment on District Development is in place.

Part and parcel of Deyata Kirula 2011 national exhibition, the ICTA stall which attracted more than 500,000 visitors although it had no sweet drinks or cookies or the like to whet the more mundane tastes to offer, has proved to be the starting point of several long lasting development projects.

The automated BMD project which began at the ICTA stall under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to issue copies of certificates of birth, marriage and death to applicants within a few minutes is now a permanent facility in the Monaragala District.

Training in computers to students including those who had not even seen a computer before it was donated to them from the ICTA stall under the patronage of the President is now part and parcel of the training provided by the schools concerned.

Exhibitions are useful indicators of work in progress. Deyata Kirula 2011 held in an area of 160 acres in Buttala for seven days from 4 to 10 February with 300 Government and private sector sponsoring the event, with two million participants and a 10 billion rupee investment for district development augurs well for the future of Sri Lanka.

“To give a very brief summary of the development endeavour in the district concerned, Monaragala, Rs. 250 million has been invested on ICT for development. This includes the project for the prompt issuance of birth, marriage and death certificates in the district. 12 information technology, vocational training centres and service locales and Rs. 50 rupees worth computers have been distributed among schools,” ICTA Monitoring and Evaluation Programme Head Jagat Seneviratne said.

“Many more people-friendly development activities are in progress in the ICT for development sector,” Seneviratne added.