ADVERTORIAL

New features at Infotel Forum

Sanjeevi JAYASURIYA

The eleventh INFOTEL 2011, a premier ICT exhibition in Sri Lanka organized by the Federation of Information Technology Industry of Sri Lanka (FITIS) will be held from December 2 to 5 at the BMICH under the theme “Accelerated IT” in keeping with the government’s growth agenda.

The rapid growth in the ICT industry in Sri Lanka will complement the overall economic growth. The flagship ICT Expo will address growth and different aspects of the ICT industry. This year’s theme accelerated IT for accelerated economic growth coinciding with national agenda is timely, FITIS Hardware Chapter President and INFOTEL 2011 main organizing committee Chairman Wasantha Weerakoon said.

One of the key highlights of the INFOTEL 2011 is the increased participation of a multitude of stakeholders which has elevated it to an International Expo and corporate CIO meeting place, he said at the launching press conference last Wednesday.

“It is expected that 50,000 visitors will participate together with 8,000 to 9,000 students for career guidance related activities. There will be 1,000 to 1,500 key ICT personnel attending the event where the ICT industry is moving towards its target of becoming a billion dollar industry by 2015,” he said.

This year’s Expo will include new features of INFOTEL forum, corporate solution area, computer shoppers area with 40 to 50 shops where Rs 3 to 4 million business is expected, display of commercially viable software bringing venture capitalists and banks together to produce proper ICT entrepreneurs to ensure smooth run of business and a unit displaying ICT in agriculture where Sri Lanka records low use of ICT in this sector.

The exhibitor category includes computers, software, systems integration, telecom and broadband, office automation, computer gaming, virtual reality, medical electronics, e-citizen services and IT training with technologies in business software, IT security, cloud computing, virtualisation, collaboration technologies, e government, IP technology and enterprise solutions.

“We have plans to make this exhibition a regional event to incorporate latest developments in the ICT industry to derive more benefits to the country. It is also expected to be one of the largest ICT and BPO career fairs in the country,” he said.

The ICT Expo will contribute in achieving key national ICT objectives where Sri Lanka is poised for a new chapter of accelerated economic growth. The event epitomizes the vital role of ICT in building Sri Lanka’s new economy and the journey towards a knowledge hub as envisioned in the Mahinda Chintana, Telecommunication and IT Ministry Secretary N.A. Athukorala said.

It offers an ideal platform for ICT stakeholders in Sri Lanka and neighbouring South Asian region to explore and capitalize on the new growth and wealth creation opportunities in the country, he said.

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Thirty farmers to benefit through Divi Aruna SME loan scheme:

NDB Bank helps Wariyapola dairy farmers

NDB Bank’s SME loan scheme, ‘Divi Aruna’ was extended to Wariyapola recently, with an aim to further enhance the lives of the people in the area.

Thirty dairy farmers were benefited at the Bank’s Wariyapola opening when NDB Bank handed over funding for the farmers to carry out their businesses.

The Divi Aruna Loan Scheme aims to provide funding that will develop the lives of the communities, elevate their social standing and empowering them to make the most of their entrepreneurial skills; and to be part of the rapid economic growth in Sri Lanka.

Previously, NDB ‘Divi Aruna’ was launched in the Jaffna, Batticaloa, Ampara, Matara and Trincomalee and Chilaw districts, and has been a successful effort where repayments are prompt and regular. This will also bring these communities to the mainline banking stream, and further obtain other banking facilities that will assist them at different stages in their lives.

NDB Bank plans rapid growth in the SME banking portfolio within the next few years. As a pioneer in project lending and SME financing in Sri Lanka the Bank has contributed immensely to this sector. Having financially supported over 40,000 ventures and creating more than 600,000 employment opportunities islandwide, NDB Bank remains committed to further empowering the SME sector with the firm belief that an entrepreneurial culture is essential for the sustainable development of a nation.

PCH opens 9to9 showroom in Kandy

PC House PLC, pioneer in ICT in Sri Lanka, launched the second 9to9 showroom in Kandy recently.

This showroom brings a new era of convenience in IT retail to residents of the hill capital boasting over 3,000 products bearing world renowned brands, all under one roof.

Commenting on the opening of the PCH 9to9 Kandy Outlet, PCH Chairman S.H.M. Rishan stated, “Establishing a PCH 9to9 showroom in Kandy is more than merely an expansion of our retail and distribution network, it is symbolic of the development that our nation has seen in this sector.

To see the cultural capital of our nation empowered with the very best in ICT retail is a testament to this. The future holds great things for this nation and we are ready to be a driving force in that future by providing a foundation of ICT tools. It is in this light that we have continued to expand our services and distribution reach as a company.”

Open 365 days a year the 9to9 showroom offers customers an unparalleled selection of products.

Situated in the heart of the city, at 136, D.S. Senanayake Road, Kandy, the store offers easy accessibility to customers.

In addition to this the store will have a technical team of 15 highly trained experts specializing in repairs and product development and would offer excellent service quality to customers maintaining the 14-year legacy of ICT retail the Company has come to depend on.

Retail and Regional Operations Head Thufail Musadeen, “PCH 9to9 is a defining brand under the PCH masthead and we plan on expanding it across the island and using it as a driving point to offer the very best in ICT to our customers.

It is in this view that we, as a company, plan to further expand the 9to9 service concept to the North before the end of the year as we believe this will be another hub for ICT growth in the years to come.

“We believe that there is infinite potential for growth here in Kandy and we plan on placing special offers and services to take advantage of it and offer more value to our customers by giving them nothing but the very best, which is precisely what they have come to expect from us,” he said.

Open from 9.00 a.m to 9.00 p.m, all 9to9 stores offer convenience, comfort and un-equaled product choice to customers.

The only IT supermarket of its kind in Sri Lanka 9to9 has special offers between the hours of 6.00 p.m and 9:00p.m which are ideal times for working customers. Coupled with extraordinary customer support and after sales service, 9to9 is a cut above the competition. In addition to this 9to9 also offers customers a free delivery service within the Kandy city limits.

Canon conducts Kandy Esala Perehera digital photo contest

Photography enthusiasts can upload their exclusive Esala Perhera photos captured by them at this year’s festival in Kandy and win cameras and prizes from Canon and Metropolitan.

The In-Focus photography contest organized by Ceylon Sights on behalf of the Sri Dalada Maligawa and jointly sponsored by ANCL together with Tourism Promotion, SriLankan Airlines, Metropolitan and Canon will award top photos taken by amateurs and professionals, locals and foreign visitors.

Upto 3 of their best images can be entered into the competition and all photos must be uploaded on the www.kandyinfocus.com website before August 31, 2011.

A Canon EOS 60D awaits the winner of this competition, runners up will receive Canon EOS 600D, a Canon 1100D cameras in addition to the many Canon compact cameras.

“We are pleased to be a part of this glamorous world heritage event for the second year. This time, we want to reward visitors to the event by making them a part of the activities through this In Focus photography competition,” Director and CEO Regions Metropolitan Office Taslim Rahaman said.

In celebration of this grand pageant, Metropolitan organized a series of events throughout 10 days of the Kandy Esala Perehera including several help desks located at the Kandy City Centre as well as at the Sri Dalada Maligawa to assist photographers at the venue, who may need to recharge batteries, change memory cards and other service and technical assistance.

A photo gallery of last year’s Perehera photos were also on display at the Kandy City Center for public viewing. A rare collection of photos of the previous Kandy Esala Perehera were on display at the photo gallery and the exhibition included a rare collection of wild life photos for the benefit of the many tourists who would be visiting Kandy during this period.

Canon and Metropolitan also set up an instant photo print service to print their pictures “on the go” using Canon Selphy printer and visitors could also get T-Shirts printed with pictures selected from the gallery using Canon Pro 9000 printer.

“We hope that our support to promoting the Kandy Esala Perehera amongst locals and foreigners will help promote Sri Lankan tourism and preserve and popularize our culture with the world. In particular, we wanted to market Sri Lanka to the world, through photos taken by our overseas visitors”.

Workbooks for pre-school deaf children

The Five Workbooks with Sri Lanka Sign Language for pre-school deaf children created by Shamila Kurukulasuriya, and published by M. D. Gunasena and Co. was launched on Sunday August 14 under the UNICEF’s Education Programme Head Brenda Haiplik.

The event was held at the M.D. Gunasena Auditorium in Colombo before a gathering of educationalists, principals and teachers of deaf Schools and deaf children and their parents from all over the country as well as well-wishers.

She has created these books in Sinhala, Tamil and English so that every deaf child in Sri Lanka and their parents, siblings, relations and friends could learn the basics of Sri Lanka Sign Language as well as the alphabets of their respective mother tongues, numbers and simple concepts during the child’s pre-school years.

She has worked closely with several Sri Lankan deaf teachers and sign language researchers in the creation of these books which incorporate the Sri Lanka Sign Language developed at the National Institute of Education.

Parents, she says, are the key to opening the doors of opportunity for deaf children. Parents must take the responsibility to teach their deaf child how to communicate using sign language and finger-spelling and how to read and write, from very early age, before they start going to school. Most deaf children have the capacity to speak; but they do not speak only because they are not taught how to speak when they are very young.