Launch of internet globally celebrates its silver jubilee Govt. dedicated to ensure widest reach of

Thursday, 13 March 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sri Lanka has fully accepted the advances of the Internet, and is dedicated to ensuring its widest reach in the country to benefit all sections of society, said President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in a message to mark the 25th Anniversary of the launch of the Internet on 12 March.

This is seen by our moves to expand Internet connectivity with the rapid availability of broad-band throughout the country, he added. The President recalled that “Nena Sala” program with 750 island-wide outlets today, is an ICT based e-Sri Lanka development activity taking modern connectivity to the rural sector. Following is the full text of the message by President on the 25th Anniversary of the launch of the Internet “This 25th Anniversary of the launch of the Internet or World Wide Web is an event of great significance for the change it has brought to the most varied aspects of life and society today. The world remains grateful to the British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, for his immense contribution to transform mankind’s communication environment, bringing tremendous progressive change in areas from governance and corporate affairs to security, education, health and the alleviation poverty, through unparalleled access to knowledge. “ Sri Lanka has fully accepted the advances of the Internet, and is dedicated to ensuring its widest reach in the country to benefit all sections of society. This is seen by our moves to expand Internet connectivity with the rapid availability of broad-band throughout the country. The “Nena Sala” program with 750 island-wide outlets today, is an ICT based e-Sri Lanka development activity taking modern connectivity to the rural sector. There is today an increasing number of schools provided with Internet facilities; computer literacy is being greatly enhanced, and Internet usage is encouraged in all aspects of development, especially in education, health and rural upliftment. “My government is aware of the need to speedily reduce and eliminate the digital divide in the country enabling the full benefits of the Internet and its incomparable access to knowledge available to all our people. “We also encourage access to social media as a source of rapid information, valuable social awareness, and participatory democracy. “On this important anniversary of the Internet, it is also necessary to remind ourselves of the need for utmost caution in its use, to ensure privacy of the citizen, safeguard children from its harmful effects and ensure that its possibilities to harm social progress are contained. I am pleased at the progress Sri Lanka has already made in accepting this revolution in communications for the benefit of society, and look forward to the continued success of this fastest growing communication medium of all time,” the President said.