IfG.CC - The Potsdam eGovernment Competence Center

Registering an increase each year from the 130 entries at the first e-Swabhimani in 2009 , the 2014 nominations mark the highest number during the five years, say ICTA sources.

During the next few weeks these nominations will be carefully judged by a jury comprising local and international experts.

The first phase of the digitalisation project of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) was launched at the NMRA recently.

Minister of Health Rajitha Senaratne was the chief guest.

The project was initiated in partnership with the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka. Epic Technology Group was the service provider. The new system – a pioneering transformational e-government solution, will enable the NMRA’s divisions to bring down processing time significantly.

Telecommunication and IT Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya told Daily Mirror that the project would involve computerizing every detail of a patient’s clinical history including consultation information and added that the details would be updated with each consultation of the patient. “This project is still in it primary level and we initiated a pilot project in the Karawanella Base Hospital. We plan to integrate this method in all the hospitals countrywide very soon,” the Minster said.

The first phase of the digitalization project of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority was launched at an event held at the NMRA in the presence of the Minister of Health Hon. Rajitha Senaratne. The project was initiated in partnership with Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka where the tech giant Epic Technology Group was selected as the service provider.The new system – a pioneering transformational e-government solution, is expected to enable the NMRA’s divisions to bring down processing time significantly.

The initiative came with the review of the current system as being inefficient by the NMRA team headed by the Chairman of NMRA Prof. Asita de Silva and CEO/DG Dr. Kamal Jayasinghe with Shriyananda Rathnayake, Programme Manager of ICTA, supporting closely.The new System is based on Epic Technology Group’s DoxPro Enterprise Content Management Platform, which aims to lower the cost of operations and save thousands of labour hours spent annually on regulatory process, and thereby enable the NMRA to achieve regulatory excellence through its end to end Information-as-a-service model.

The Labour Department intends making available comprehensive citizen services where employees will have easy round-the-clock access to EPF-related information such as account balance details and refund status details.

Although online learning is not a brand new concept to the world and also to Sri Lanka, the ‘new normal’ model of living became a household term with the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic. Around the world, governments and other educational institutions started looking towards online education platforms to provide continuous education to students from kindergarten to the university and above. The new normal has now transformed into a concept of education in Sri Lanka and throughout the world. As of today, digital learning has materialised as an indispensable source for students.

Although many online programs were conducted by educational institutions, both Government and private, before Covid-19 came, for higher education students, those in schools from grade one to GCE A/L, online learning was an entirely new experience. As enthusiastic as they should be, almost the whole student population quickly adopted to the online learning process in a relatively short time.

The e-governance programme was launched by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Friday (7) at Temple Trees.

The programme has been spearheaded by Public Administration and Home Affairs Ministry headed by Minister John Seneviratne.

According to the e-governance, a person willing to obtain his/her revenue licence or any other important document could obtain just within three minutes.

Move follows successful conclusion to Court action by unsuccessful bidder Sierra Construction

Richardson Technologies Ltd. (RTPL) is now going ahead with the long awaited Smart City project in the Colombo municipality areas following the successful conclusion to Court action by the unsuccessful bidder.

The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) called for tenders from interested parties to submit offers for the Supply, Installation, Commissioning and Maintenance of LED Smart Street Lighting Systems for the city of Colombo, on a Private Public Partnership basis with zero capital cost to the CMC.

Samsung Network Inc, the Korean IT company involved in the e-Sri Lanka government network project, is likely to secure another multi-million dollar IT-related contract on producing electronic National Identity Cards (e-NICs) or biometric IDs for all citizens in the island, informed sources said.

The Sri Lankan government has given the green light to issue electronic National Identity Cards (e-NICs) for all citizens as a sequel to a proposal submitted by the President as Minister of Defence.

Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), the leading broadband and digital services provider in Sri Lanka was proud to announce that it will be partnering the much awaited national ICT expo, INFOTEL 2019 which will be conducted at the BMICH from 1st to 3rd November 2019. Running for the 27th consecutive year, the theme of this year’s expo is “Towards a digital nation”.

INFOTEL provides the ideal platform where ICT knowledge and experience as well as futuristic ICT solutions can be shared with business leaders, professionals, students, educationalists and many others, creating an ideal environment for the generation of global business opportunities as well as opportunities for expediting the country’s economic development. Having conducted the first INFOTEL expo nearly three decades ago, today, its scope and reach has expanded greatly. This year’s INFOTEL expo will cover areas such as ICT education, training and career guidance, software solutions, hardware and digital devices as well as digital lifestyles and smart city concepts, mobile computing, systems integration, computer gaming, cloud computing and emerging technologies such as IoTs, robotics etc. SLT will be partnering with the INFOTEL 2019 as the Principal Sponsor

With the addition of an online petition and discussion portal in Sinhala, the ACRC hopes to help Sri Lankans residing in Korea to submit complaints and comments to the government in their native language.

Obtaining or renewing a driving license is much easier now; all you need to do is a few clicks at the GIC (Government Information Centre) website where you can even make an online payment. One can now call 1919 from a telephone anywhere in Sri Lanka and access all government related information in Sinhala, Tamil or English. GIC websites provides all information such as train/flight schedules, job opportunities abroad, exam results, medical services and contact details.

Information and Communication Technologies remained a State monopoly for a long time since first telegraph and then telecommunication systems were introduced in late 19th century. The Department of Posts and Telecommunication was the sole authority that could provide phone connections. Radio Ceylon (commenced first as Colombo Radio in 1925) was the sole broadcaster for an equally long period.

The State was also the sole patron of data processing technology (The term ‘Information Technology’ was yet to be introduced) for several decades, starting from 1967, when the first mainframe computer was installed at State Engineering Corporation. If one were to travel back to ’70s one would find private players had very little to do with information and communication technologies.

In today’s fast-paced world, adopting new technologies is vital for a nation’s progress. While Sri Lanka has made progress in various sectors, it is crucial to recognize the untapped potential of embracing innovative technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart cities. By understanding the benefits of these advancements and taking proactive steps, Sri Lanka can unlock opportunities, transform key sectors, and improve citizens’ lives. This article explores the potential of embracing new technologies, showcases success stories from other countries, and emphasizes the need for Sri Lanka to prioritize technology-driven initiatives.

IoT is the network of interconnected devices, objects, and systems that communicate and share information through the internet. These devices, equipped with sensors and connectivity, collect and exchange data, enabling them to make intelligent decisions and perform tasks autonomously. This technology allows us to connect everyday objects, such as appliances, vehicles, and infrastructure, to enhance efficiency, convenience, and safety.

In an interview with the Sunday Observer, Kim stressed on areas where telecommunication can be used, in mitigating disaster risks, economic empowerment of the rural community and in creating new job opportunities for the country.

According to Ajith Perera – the recently appointed Minister of Digital Infrastructure and Information Technology, there are “ambitious” plans to bring the Government together under an e-Government. As per the minister, the first step towards this would be to create a population registry of all Sri Lankan citizens.

Dubbed the “Mother of all databases”, this would contain all the information about the population of Sri Lanka. The database would be available for all Government ministries to share data.

The general manager of the TSHDA, G. B. Obeysekera said that this initiative under e-Sri Lanka program was launched with the support of the ICTA. Now all the services provided by TSHDA are available in electronic form through SMS, email or internet. Smallholders can get the statement on subsidy payments by sending an SMS to 1919. Once a smallholder completes his land preparation work he can request for an inspection by officials by sending an SMS.

Harin Fernando, Minister of Telecommunication and Digital Infrastructure rang an alarm bell on Monday for Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) slamming its complacency and sluggishness in getting things done, and went on to warn that a rival semi-government telecom company would be formed if the worst came to worst.

"SLT is excessively unionized and getting things done productively is very difficult. 48% of SLT's operational expenses constitute employees' salaries. For Dialog, this figure is only 7%. Aware of this situation, I haven't given a single job for anyone in the SLT. SLT employees apparently feel too complacent with the monopoly they enjoy. Although SLT comes under my purview, I have told them that they have to fall in line or otherwise a new semi-government ICT company will have to be established", the minister said.

“The Sri Lankan Government 3.0 vision is one where we can provide seamless citizen services anytime and anywhere. Integrating mobile technology means citizens can interact, transact and make payment with their mobile devices. Similarly, civil servants become location-independent and are connected all the time,” declared Karunasena.

Mobile communication devices such as mobile phones and tablets have become an inseparable part of our daily life. In addition to the main intended task, communication, these devises can effectively be used to improve health of communities and to reduce the burden of major health issues such as maternal and child health.

Using mobile communication in health care is called mHealth, the most recent health approach preceding teleHealth and eHealth. mHealth (also written as m-health) is a term used for the practice of medicine and public health supported by mobile devices. The term is most commonly used in reference to using mobile communication devices, such as mobile phones, tablet computers and PDAs, for health services and information. mHealth applications include the use of mobile devices in collecting community and clinical health data, delivery of healthcare information to practitioners, researchers, and patients, real-time monitoring of patient vital signs, and direct provision of care.