Narayana Murthy appointed IT adviser to Lanka Prez

Sri Lanka govt has appointed Infosys Narayana Murthy as the international adviser on IT to President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

In a bid to increase investments into the IT sector,the Sri Lankan government has appointed the chief mentor of Infosys,Narayana Murthy,as the international adviser on information technology to President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

8220;Mr N R Narayana Murthy was appointed as the international adviser to the Sri Lankan President and he has accepted it8221;,Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona said.

Rajapaksa made the appointment after inviting Narayana Murthy as the chief guest to the ceremonial launch of 8216;2009-Year of English and Information Technology8217; at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo on Friday.

Speaking at the event,Rajapaksa said the great success of India in the field of Information Technology in the recent years has highly inspired Sri Lanka.

8220;It is for this reason that we have turned to India in addition to other countries for technical support to strengthen our own endeavours. We are honoured by the presence today of Narayana Murthy,8217;the father of IT in India8217; and the chairman and mentor of the world famous Infosys,8221; President Rajapaksa said yesterday.

Padma Vibhushan awardee Murthy has stepped down as Infosys CEO but continues as its chief mentor and board chairman.

Speaking on the occasion,Rajapaksa said adequate knowledge of both English and IT is a compelling necessity to access the opportunities available in today8217;s society.

Story continues below this ad

The President thanked India for assisting in training of English teachers in the island nation.

8220;I take this opportunity to thank our neighbour,India for the ready assistance given to the training of English teachers8230;as well as looking to Sri Lanka for expansion of IT related services that have contributed much to India8217;s economic expansion in recent years8221;,he said.

Rajapaksa said the rapid development of technology and the advance of globalisation demand a competitive edge in the moves towards rapid economic progress.

8220;Our aim is to provide English as a life skill to our youth as well as those already in employment to increase employability and advance in their chosen fields of activity8221;,Rajapaksa said.

Story continues below this ad

The combination of English with IT will open new avenues of employment for individuals and entirely new spheres of employment generation in the country,thereby improving living standards of the people,he said.

8220;We have already taken an important step in this direction with the setting up of the Presidential Task Force on English and IT last year8221;,he added.