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State-of-the-Art Disaster Early Warning System launched
Under the auspices of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, a sophisticated disaster early warning system was officially introduced today (19), marking a collaborative effort involving the Disaster Management Centre, Sri Lanka Telecommunication Regulatory Commission and major telephone service providers including SLT Mobitel, Hutch, Dialog and Airtel.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) formalizing this strategic initiative was also signed at the President’s Office today.
Director General of the Disaster Management Centre Major General S. Ranasinghe (Retired) and Director General of the Sri Lanka Telecommunication Regulatory Commission Mr. Madhushanka Dissanayake, were the signatories to the MoU. Notable stakeholders, including Group Chief Executive Officer of Dialog Axiata Mr. Supun Weerasinghe, Group Chief Executive Officer of Sri Lanka Telecom Mr. Janaka R. Abeysinghe, Chief Executive Officer of Bharti Airtel Lanka Mr. Ashish Chandra, Chief Operating Officer of Mobitel Pvt. Ltd. Mr. Sudarshan Giganage and Acting Chief Executive Officer of Hutchison Telecommunications Lanka Pvt. Ltd Mr. Samitra Gupta were actively involved in the signing ceremony.
The primary objective of this state-of-the-art disaster early warning system is to fortify the existing mechanism, ensuring the safety and well-being of Sri Lankan citizens amidst various disasters, including those caused by weather and climate changes. The system leverages cutting-edge technology to deliver more effective early warnings through telephone communication networks.
Specifically focusing on tsunami disasters, the system targets nearly sixty thousand (60,000) mobile and landline numbers in 14 districts identified as high-risk areas. It is designed to promptly issue an immediate early warning in the form of a distinctive “Ring Tone” notification accompanied by a siren sound.
This will establish a more robust early warning mechanism for the public, utilizing phone notifications featuring a siren sound, particularly effective during night-time hours.
Scheduled for a public rollout on “National Security Day” on December 26, 2023, the system’s scope is anticipated to expand in the future, evolving into a comprehensive multi-disaster early warning mechanism. This expansion aims to include landslides and floods, further enhancing its utility and impact.
The high-profile event was attended by key dignitaries, including State Minister for Defence Mr. Pramita Bandara Thennakoon, President’s Senior Advisor on National Security and Chief of Presidential Staff Mr. Sagala Ratnayake, Secretary to the Defence Ministry General Kamal Gunaratne (Retired) and Directors of the Disaster Management Centre, Brigadier T.C. Harasgama and Mr. Pradeep Kodippili were among others.
(President’s Media Division)
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First capacity-building program under NCGG – SLIDA MoU concludes successfully
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National Centre for Good Governance of India (NCGG) and Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA) was signed during the State Visit of President of Sri Lanka, H.E. Anura Kumara Disanayaka to India in December 2024 for training and capacity building of 1500 Sri Lankan civil service officers over a period of five years.
The first program under the MoU was successfully held at NCGG from 21 April to 02 May 2025, and was attended by 41 officers. Based on the request of the Government of Sri Lanka, the theme of the program was ‘digitization in governance’. The program featured a series of sessions focused on key areas such as digital service delivery, digital public infrastructure, financial inclusion through digital payments, and innovations in public grievance redressal systems. Senior officials and domain experts delivered presentations on flagship Indian initiatives in the digital domain, including Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, e-Office, GeM, Aadhaar, PM Gati Shakti, among others.
At an interaction session with participants in the inaugural program organized on 08 May 2025 at SLIDA, the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, H.E. Santosh Jha underscored that capacity building is an important pillar of the development cooperation between the two countries, with Sri Lanka being among the largest recipients of scholarships and capacity building initiatives offered by India. He highlighted that, demonstrating India’s continued commitment to enhancing capacity-building opportunities for Sri Lankans, Prime Minister of India had announced additional training avenues to 700 Sri Lankan citizens annually during his recent State visit. In that context, the High Commissioner said that the participants in the first NCGG-SLIDA programme also represented the first set of Sri Lankan nationals to receive training as part of the significantly enhanced capacity-building endeavour of India that will now benefit 1000 Sri Lankans annually.
The interaction session was also attended by Secretary, Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government, Mr S. Aloka Bandara; Director General of SLIDA, Mr A.V. Janadara; senior officials and faculty members of SLIDA; among others.
In view of the highly positive feedback from the participants in the inaugural NCGG-SLIDA program, based on request from SLIDA, a second program on the same theme under the MoU is now being planned for another batch of around 40 officers for early June 2025.
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First capacity-building program under NCGG – SLIDA MoU concludes successfully
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