Telecom Ministry targets US $ Two b

Dharma SRI ABEYRATNE

The Telecommunication and Information Technology Ministry has targeted to earn US $ two billion by 2016, Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said.

The Minister will appoint a committee to furnish guidelines to the Ministry to achieve this target.

The committee which sits in January is expected to forward its report within 45 days.

The Minister said that the workforce in the information related fields will have to be increased to 200,000 by 2016. Infrastructure facilities have also to be increased to achieve this target.

"The country earns US $ 400 million annually from information technology related fields. The US $ two billion target is easily achievable," Siyambalapitiya added.

Computer literacy will also be increased to 70 percent by 2016. The computer literacy rate is around 30 percent now, the Minister added.