20 April 2023 09:22 pm Views - 1234
Former actor-turned-Parliamentarian Ranjan Ramanayake said today that hiring people with knowledge of information technology (IT) rather than sending unskilled labour, such as housemaids, to countries in the Middle East would earn Sri Lanka more foreign exchange.
Addressing the media after launching his free laptop distribution program, he said IT knowledge should be shared among the younger generation and that it is the best opportunity to raise the country from its present precarious situation.
Several musical shows were held during his tour of America, and he had bought a stock of laptops to be distributed among the poor children of our country.
"During and after the COVID pandemic, laptop computers have become easy money-making machines. Many people used to engage in their duties while staying at home. So most of them used their computers as their extra income generation methods," Ramanayaka said.
"I bought the laptops with the money I earned from the musical shows. The money I have spent on these laptops is clean," he added.
Meanwhile, a total of 116 brand new laptops were distributed among schoolchildren and university students with the aim of helping them develop their IT knowledge and helping them earn foreign exchange legally.
"India has become one of the main countries in the world for earning foreign exchange using its IT knowledge.
"Therefore, we should lend a helping hand to the future generation to develop their IT skills to make the country wealthier."
With the aim of developing IT knowledge, the former minister today distributed 116 laptops among schoolchildren, university students and religious leaders through the Ranjan Ramanayaka Foundation, while 23 laptops were given to schoolchildren from rural areas.
"Another stock of 3,000 is on the way for the children from the donors in the United States," Ramanayake said.
During the event, he thanked the individuals who were involved in this donation and the Customs officials for granting tax concessions to bring them into the country. (Chaturanga Pradeep Samarawickrama)