Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa says that the new government has prioritized the ICT sector and establishing a knowledge and technology based society to make Sri Lanka a global innovation hub.

In addition to implementing a comprehensive digitization policy for the country, the government is also working on a number of other related programs, said Prime Minister Rajapaksa.

These include setting up a Citizen Centric Digital Government, establishing a digitally-inclusive Sri Lanka and promoting IT entrepreneurship, he added.

The Premier made these remarks addressing the inauguration ceremony of Indian technology company HCL Technologies’ first global delivery center in Sri Lanka. HCL Technologies is the third largest IT company in India.

The ceremony that took place virtually, included guests joining from around the world, including the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay, Chairman of the Board of Investment Sri Lanka Susantha Ratnayake, HCL Founder Shiv Nadar, and President and Chief Executive Officer of HCL Technologies Vijay Kumar.

He further said that the presence of a global ICT leader such as HCL Technologies is not only an asset to Sri Lanka, but also sends a strong message to the entire world that Sri Lanka is “back in business,” having successfully contained the global pandemic.