INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Television has been with us for the past 25 years and almost every household has a television. But this remains a privilege of those who have electricity supplied by the Ceylon Electricity Board (hydro) or solar power supplied by some private companies.

A few years ago, I remember visiting a friend's house in Poojapitiya, Matale and they used a car battery to get the power necessary to operate the television. There are a number of villages linked to the Sinharaja forest with no electricity at all.

But when television was introduced to Sri Lanka, what the powers that be said was that everyone would be given the opportunity to walk into the new world of knowledge, close at hand or found at their doorstep and the public were told that they were at the threshold of new world.

Decades have passed after the introduction of the `Open Economy' and the advent of television, a gifted by the Japanese Government. It was said that television would be used as a tool to improve education and facilitate students and those keen to enhance their knowledge.

The necessary infrastructure facilities have not reached yet the periphery, the most remote areas of the country. Everyone coming down with proposals and venture capital roams within the cities with facilities while talking big about new technology, advanced science and IT facilities in air-conditioned rooms. But for the majority of the poor this remains yet a dream.

This is an attempt on my part to bring to the attention of those responsible for providing the infrastructure facilities to rural masses greatly in need. The day Sri Lanka could proudly proclaim that our cities and the rural sector equally enjoy the facilities others enjoy elsewhere, would be the day where all have the most needed, the bare minimum and fundamental infrastructure facilities, such as electricity, roads, water, housing and sanitary facilities with no discrimination to any sector.

Addressing the inaugural session of the Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) Forum 2006 themed "Creating Prosperity Through Innovation - ICT at Work in Development" at the Colombo Hilton recently Science and Technology Minister Prof. Tissa Vitharana pointed out that the poverty stricken rural or urban areas for that matter could not think of getting ICT to their homes.

"In the rural areas lie our most valuable resources. Our country is endowed with natural resources and added to that the educated and unemployed youth. They have to be empowered to avoid any future revolt and the ICT shows the way. We have set up resource centres at 323 Divisions and provide facilities through the Vidatha program - taking the technology to the village - `gamata thakshanaya'.

Speaking with the "Gamaya" after the media briefing which followed the inaugural session, the Minister admitted the need to facilitate the rural sector first, if the country was keen to take new technology to the village and give opportunities to those living in the most difficult areas of the country, to enjoy what the city dwellers enjoy without discrimination whatsoever. But the sad experience is that no one seems to bother - there is no action.

Minister Vitharana in his address went onto say that 77 per cent of the population live in the villages, which have to be developed and provided with infrastructure facilities, for them to make the best use of the ICT.

A news report in `Dinamina' our sister newspaper said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa has drawn his attention to the need for providing electricity to a number of villages identified as `difficult areas'.

The report also said that on a proposal by the President in the coming months there would be a scheme to provide `household electricity' to villages in the districts of Puttalam, Trincomalee, Polonnaruwa, Hambantota, Kegalle and Ratnapura.

This underscores the grave need of the hour. Minister Vitharana in his address did not mince his words when he said that the two insurrections the country witnessed in the last quarter of the 20th century was based on poverty and unemployment, whether the revolt was in the South or from the North. Even the current ethnic conflict has its roots in poverty and unemployment.

The Open Economy along with the new technology that swept across the world were meant to help eradicate poverty and enhance opportunities for more employment.

Solar power is one alternative available in some parts of the country. But that cannot match the electricity given through the hydraulic power and those using the solar power say that one cannot use all the electric gadgets at once via solar power. It is possible but one has to spend more money. Can our people afford?

That is the question. There is a big gap and that gap could be narrowed down. To obtain knowledge and update one's information one needs to have access to computers. How could one operate computers when there is no electricity? So it is pointless to provide computers to schools which have no electricity.

When talking about electricity, the hard fact we know is that one cannot unduly depend on hydraulic power because we often experience heavy droughts and without water one cannot operate the machines to distribute power. So the problems are inter-connected like in a chain. What lies underneath is the fact that we need more electricity to meet the rising demand.

Gamaya lives in a village covered with heavy forest. The public road which one needs to enter the village in the jungle has electricity. But as there is heavy forest (about one kilometre), authorities are reluctant to provide electricity. But some houses in this tiny village use solar power.

They have the means and they are willing to pay little more if the authorities take it to heart to provide them with electricity.