The eLibrary '1000 Nenasala project' was launched with the inauguration of the first Nenasala at the historic Kataragama Kirivehera on first January 2005 with the aim of empowering the rural folk through ICT.
Nenasalas have been set up covering all districts island-wide including the North and East, located in premises of religious worship, such as Temples, Kovils, mosques and churches and public places.
As some authorities have pointed out, India is soaring ahead in economic growth, as a result of its burgeoning ITC industry. This phenomenal advance in IT knowledge and technology has contributed towards making India a major economic power. In fact, India has emerged a number one outsourcing centre for the global IT industry, on account of the outstanding stature it has achieved as a major IT Research and Development source.
Compared to India, we have still a long way to go even as a software developer. This is the considered opinion of some IT authorities. Even on the question of the public’s general competency in IT related matters, we are far behind many Middle Income Countries, which are emerging as major economic powers.
Whereas the asking rate for the production of IT professionals in this country is 2000 yearly, we bring out only some 1000 of them per year. This alone is a measure of how much wanting the country is in relation to the development of ICT.
Accordingly, moves by the State to increasingly empower our seats of higher learning to step-up up ICT Research and Development should be welcomed and it is hoped to have more such measures in th future.
In a turn of events that brought high local and international plaudits to Sri Lanka the 'Nenasala' Project won the Bill and Milinda Gates Foundation award for the best rural IT Project this year. This flagship project of the country for improving ICT literacy implemented by ICTA was adjudged the best out of 150 projects from 110 countries.
From this point of view, the Ministry of Science and Technology’s ‘Nenasala’ project should be lauded. It could help greatly in enhancing the public’s IT literacy and serve as an abundant empowerment measure.
