Sri Lanka Army, entering further into the domain of Information Technology (IT) is to be networked shortly, so said Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, Commander of the Army when he opened the newly established “Ranaviru IT Training Institute” in Kandy on Tuesday (14), following a direction given by the Commander, himself.
The new “Ranaviru IT Training Institute”, established by the Army IT Unit, commanded by Major General S.A.P.P. Samarasinghe, Chief Signals Officer (CSO), was gifted with 20 necessary computers and new technical equipment, by the Standard Chartered Bank, in response to a request made by the Army. The same bank donated 15 more computers to the Army managed IT Institute at Anuradhapura on a previous occasion.
The ceremonial opening of the new Institute that enables open up whole new vistas of IT facilitates the training of more and more Army personnel, including those differently able War Heroes, children of Army personnel, spouses and their close relatives, if the War Heroes remain still unmarried. At the same occasion, 30 applicants from Army families were enrolled to the inaugural IT training course, to be run by this new wing under the supervision of the Army IT Unit.
The Chief Guest for the ceremonial inauguration, Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, Commander of the Army, was received on arrival at the venue by the Chief Signals Officer and conducted him and other distinguished guests in a colourful procession. Lieutenant General Jayasuriya after unveiling the monumental plaque at the refurbished building cut a symbolic ribbon and declared the new IT Institute open as members of the Maha Sangha commenced chanting Seth Pirith and invoked blessings on the project.
Later on, the Army Chief along with senior officers went around the Institute and received a glimpse of the new Institute and its workings in the future. Lieutenant General Jayasuriya took a keen interest in learning how the proposed training was to be conducted in batches.
The Army Chief also did not forget to share a couple of thoughts with trainee aspirants who were present on the occasion for enrolment and inquired about their IT knowledge and skills. This is the third of this kind, meant to train members of Army families in Information Technology.
The Chief Signals Officer, adding a monumental value to the occasion presented a memento to the visiting Commander of the Army.
Chartered Bank’s Country Head of Assurance Mr. Damayanth Seneviratne and Chief Information Officer Mr. Yohann Dias represented the Bank at the opening ceremony
Commander of the Army also paid a visit to the Sri Lanka Signals Corps Museum after the ceremony.
A brief meeting that followed the opening ceremony was addressed by the Commander of the Army.
Here follows the full text of the Commander’s speech to the occasion;
“It is our utmost duty to uphold the freedom secured through numerous sacrifices, made by your relatives and fathers at the expense of their precious lives who fought a war that dragged on for more than three decades, in order to safeguard the unitary state for future generations, yet to be born.
The main objective of the government is to provide members of the Army with all necessary facilities as it has already been done through the good offices of His Excellency, the President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Secretary of Defence Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Constructing houses for War Heroes in their own plots of land under “Api Wenuwen Api” project is one such phase.
This new IT Institute, opened today is expected to impart a thorough IT knowledge to the children, spouses of War Heroes as well as to the sisters and brothers of unmarried War Heroes who made the supreme sacrifice, became totally disabled and those who had already retired from the service.
IT Institutes of this nature have already been established in Anuradhapura and Panagoda before this one and measures are to be taken to set up such institutes island-wide covering remote areas in the country as well. This Institute declared open today will provide IT facilities to War Hero families in and around Kandy.
I would like to take this opportunity to pay my special gratitude to the Standard Chartered Bank for its generosity by donating Computers for this new IT Institute and the one in Anuradhapura which in turn serves a stimulus to welfare of the War Heroes.
The Army, taking a keen interest in IT since of recent times has already launched a project to link all island-wide Army establishments through networking. That will enable to retrieve any information from anywhere in the Army within a brief span of time.
I also would like to request trainee aspirants, selected for the IT course here to follow it with dedication and commitment, deriving the best use of this opportunity since this offer is something very special to you.
My special appreciation and acknowledgement goes to the Chief Signals Officer, his staff and also to the Adjutant General and his staff for their endeavors in making the Kandy IT institute a reality.
I do not intend to talk at length on this occasion and once again request you to take maximum use of this opportunity. I wish you all a happy future.”
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
