Official ICTA Nanasala web site
Fort Railway Station, Colombo
Rural Knowledge Center, Koslanda
Official ICTA Nanasala web site |
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Fort Railway Station, Colombo |
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Rural Knowledge Center, Koslanda |
The e-Sri Lanka Initiative initiated by the Government of Sri Lanka aims to provide access to diverse and unrestricted sources of information and means of communication to all the citizens of Sri Lanka. Under this initiative, the ICTA (Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka) has established 400 Rural Knowledge Centres or 'Nanasalas' across Sri Lanka, with plans to open 1,000 Nanasalas all over the island to help communities improve their knowledge and access global information.
The e-Sri Lanka Initiative addresses the current ICT infrastructure deficiencies in rural areas of Sri Lanka. A key objective of this programme is to establish multi-service community information centres or Nanasalas ('Nenasala' in Sinhalese means 'global knowledge centres'), which will provide access to Internet, telephones and other information services along with training, etc. to the public in rural communities.
Nenasalas give the rural community quick methods of transferring documents through fax or email. The centres also help improve IT literacy in the country and bridge the digital divide by providing IT training for rural communities at a minimal cost.
Located in 23 districts, the Nenasala project was initiated in 2005. Nenasalas are also located at the Foreign Employment Bureau, Fort Railway Station, public libraries and hospitals.
