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Immense potential of DPI for Sri Lanka explored (Pics)
The High Commission of India, in partnership with the Ministry of Technology, Government of Sri Lanka organised a conference on Digital Public Infrastructure yesterday (March 26) in Colombo.
The conference, through its three sessions and breakout meetings explored the transformative potential of DPI for enabling service delivery, empowering communities by fostering inclusivity and enriching the economy by driving innovation.
The three sessions included an Opening Plenary with the keynote address delivered by President of Sri Lanka – Ranil Wickremesinghe, wherein he applauded the conference for being timely. President Wickremesinghe underlined DPI as a vital enabler for the digitisation of the Sri Lankan economy. He emphasised the need for collaboration with India in this domain, highlighting the potential of fast-tracking growth by adapting India’s successful strategies domestically.
India’s digital transformation and the significance of DPI and India Stack was elaborated upon by High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka – Santosh Jha, in his welcome remarks and by Dr. Pramod Varma, Co-Chair, Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure (CDPI) in his presentation during the Opening Plenary.
The other two sessions saw discussions amongst experts from India, Sri Lanka and the region, on the themes of Accelerating Digital Sri Lanka and Unlocking the Digital Stack respectively. The former focused on the roadmap for adoption of DPI in Sri Lanka and the resultant acceleration towards e-governance across the board, with the opening remarks by Hon. Kanaka Herath, State Minister of Technology. The latter went beyond foundational DPI to discuss use cases marrying technology, markets and governance with a special focus on the positive externalities in the startups domain. This session was opened by MP Dr. Harsha de Silva.
The conference was particularly enriched with several breakout meetings between visiting experts from India and their Sri Lankan counterparts as well as other stakeholders. A key highlight of these was an interaction of the visiting senior officials from Government of India’s Ministries handling Digital India and Startup India programmes with Senior Officials who are leading the six Working Groups of Government of Sri Lanka on Digital Economy.
Futuristic linkages were also initiated in the startup and IT industries domain on the sidelines of the conference. In the afternoon of 26 March, Startup India’s team held a capacity building workshop for startups in Sri Lanka, including sessions by Indian experts on the art of pitching and effective marketing. The Chief of IIT Chennai’s Incubator ‘Parvartak’ interacted with key startup incubators in Sri Lanka. Chairman NASSCOM called on the President of Sri Lanka yesterday.
The conference is another step in the series of initiatives being undertaken to implement the Vision Document adopted by Prime Minister of India and President of Sri Lanka during the latter’s visit to India in July 2023 to promote connectivity, including in the digital domain. India’s ongoing grant assistance for establishing the Sri Lanka Unique Digital Identity (SL-UDI) Project is a key building block for the digital transformation of Sri Lanka aided by DPI. The various engagements today emphasised the immense potential to leverage India’s DPI in accordance with Sri Lanka’s requirements and priorities towards effective and efficient delivery of citizen-centric services to the people of Sri Lanka.
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Foreign diplomats head to Kandy by train for “Siri Dalada Vandanawa” (Pics)
The special exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic – ‘Siri Dalada Vandanawa’, commenced today (April 18) after 16 years.
President Anura Kumara Disanayake, along with Ambassadors, High Commissioners and other diplomats representing several countries, is expected to participate in the inaugural event.
Diplomats from Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, the Netherlands, India, Myanmar, Palestine, France, New Zealand, Cuba, Egypt, Japan, the United Kingdom, Thailand, Canada and South Korea were among those taking part. The group traveled to Kandy this morning in a special observation saloon of a train that departed from Colombo Fort Railway Station at around 7:00 a.m.
This initiative aims to convey a message to Sri Lanka’s friendly nations that the country is recovering economically, overcoming previous challenges, and fostering national harmony. The event also seeks to strengthen international support for Sri Lanka.
Upon arrival in Kandy, the delegation first visited the Mahaweli Reach Hotel, where a special Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebration was organized in accordance with local customs to welcome them.
Additional diplomats joined the group in Kandy, bringing the total number of participants to 44. Together, they proceeded to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic to take part in the inauguration ceremony of the “Siri Dalada Vandanawa.” Afterward, they returned to Colombo by train.
Today, on the opening day, the public had the opportunity to pay homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. From tomorrow (April 19) onwards, veneration will be open daily from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
(Pics : President’s Media Division)
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‘Siri Dalada Vandanawa’ inaugurated (Video / Pics)
The inauguration of the ‘Siri Dalada Vandanawa’, a special exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic commenced today (April 18).
President Anura Kumara Disanayake attended the ceremony.
Additionally, a number of foreign diplomats traveled to Kandy on a dedicated train service to attend this event.
(Video : SLRC)
(Previous news 2025 April 18 – 10.40.a.m.)
“Siri Dalada Vandanawa” commences today
The ‘Siri Dalada Vandanawa’, a special exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic, will commence today (April 18) at 12:30 noon, after 16 years.
President Anura Kumara Disanayake is scheduled to participate in the inauguration ceremony.
Additionally, a number of foreign diplomats are expected to participate in this event. Special arrangements have been made for them to travel from Colombo to Kandy via a dedicated train service.
From April 19 to 27, the special exposition will be from 12:00 noon to 5:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Police’s Information Technology Division has introduced a new system to provide essential services for the convenience of devotees attending the ‘Siri Dalada Wandanawa’ and to facilitate collaboration with the police.
Through this platform, devotees can access information and receive instructions regarding the special exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic via the official website of the Sri Lanka Police, daladadekma.police.lk
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Oil anointing rituals at Dehiwala Zoo (Pics)
The oil anointing tradition for this year’s Sinhala and Tamil New Year was held today (April 16).
The National Zoological Gardens of Sri Lanka in Dehiwala also performed these rituals on several of its inhabitants.
The rituals began with the ‘Kadol’ elephant, continuing a customary tradition of blessing elephants during the New Year period.
The head of a brown bear recently received by the zoo from United Arab Emirates, was also anointed.
However, the most special zoo resident that was included in these rituals, was the 153-year-old giant tortoise, recognized as the oldest living animal in Sri Lanka.
The event was organized by the zoo’s management team under the guidance of Director General Chandana Rajapaksa and coordinated by Deputy Director Dinushika Manawadu.
“Reports of Wijepala – Nissanka meeting, fake”
Foreign diplomats head to Kandy by train for “Siri Dalada Vandanawa” (Pics)
