- Govt. is preparing National Digital Economy Strategy
- Tackling brain drain via change in education curricula
- With macroeconomic stability, migration has slowed
- Automation of public transport management initiated
- Communications regulatory legislation being amended
- Digitisation of terrestrial TV broadcasting commenced
- Developing National Submarine Cable Protection Framework
- Draft Cyber Security Bill submitted to Legal Draftsman’s Dept.
- New Cyber Security Strategy for 2024-2028 being prepared
- Information and Cyber Security Policy being implemented
The Government is in the process of preparing a National Digital Economy Strategy with the technical assistance of the World Bank, while a Cabinet Committee on Digital Economy has been set up as the main advisory and endorsement body, says State Minister of Technology Kanaka Herath, speaking on the status quo in relation to the Government’s digitalisation programme, adding that the final reports are expected by mid-July.
The Minister told The Sunday Morning that steps were also underway to tackle the ongoing brain drain, especially in the IT sector, and to develop the action plan for the modernisation of critical infrastructure, while regulatory legislation in relation to telecommunications is in the process of being amended in line with the Government’s digitalisation initiatives. Meanwhile, a National Submarine Cable Protection and Resilience Framework and a Cyber Security Strategy for 2024-2028 are being developed, while the draft Cyber Security Bill has been prepared and submitted to the Legal Draftsman’s Department.
“The cybercrime rate has gone up due to increased penetration of smart devices locally and globally. There is an increasing trend of cybercrimes affecting Sri Lanka being committed by those who are overseas. The Government has already taken steps to work with foreign parties to resolve cross-border crimes and also launched the Information and Cyber Security Policy for Government organisations,” the Minister added.
Following are excerpts:
The President has repeatedly spoken of the Government’s intention to digitalise many public platforms and processes. What is the progress on this and is there a roadmap in place?
Under the directive of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Government is in the process of preparing the National Digital Economy Strategy with the technical assistance of the World Bank.
A Cabinet Committee on Digital Economy has been set up under the chairmanship of the President and will be the main advisory and endorsement body for the Digital Economy Strategy. This Cabinet committee will lead the country’s transformation into a digital-first economy that is globally competitive, sustainable, and inclusive and will mobilise public and private sector resources to fund and implement the National Digital Economy Strategy.
The Cabinet committee will be supported by advisors, a High Level Officers’ Committee (HLOC), and six Thematic Working Groups (TWGs).
The TWGs cover the areas of broadband connectivity, access, and use; digital safeguards; digital transactions; digital data and services infrastructure; acceleration of digitalisation of key economic sectors; and digital industry, skills, and jobs.
The HLOC is chaired by the Secretary to the Prime Minister. Three HLOC meetings have been held with the TWG chairs and each TWG is preparing a draft report. The draft reports are expected to be submitted by each TWG by 30 June and the final report is expected to be submitted by 14 July for review and finalisation by the ministry with the support of the World Bank.
The final report will be launched by the President at the ‘DIGIECON’ opening ceremony.
Sri Lanka has lost many IT sector professionals over the last few years, especially due to the economic crisis, with many choosing to migrate. How does the Government plan to manage this issue?
The short-term plan is to change the vocational training and higher education curricula, in order to have more graduates and professionals in the field.
For vocational training, we have changed the curriculum according to industry needs so that they will be job ready straightaway. In terms of higher education, 60% of the graduates we produce are arts graduates and there is a high level of unemployment. We are planning a six-month industry-based crash course in IT as soon as they finish their studies in three years. After six months, they will be employed by the industry. It is the industry that proposed this approach and prepared the curriculum as well and they are working with the universities. They also conduct lectures and practical sessions with their companies. This is part of the short-term plan.
People are migrating because they lack confidence in the country being able to recover from the economic crisis, so the priority is to provide them confidence about the future. Now the industry says that with some of the measures that the Government has taken, especially in terms of macroeconomic stability, we have seen further retention, migration has slowed down, and the need to leave the country is reducing.
However, in terms of earning more income, when a company earns more, it is also able to provide better salaries and of course if they are supported in the export market, they are able to earn in dollars as opposed to the companies earning in rupees, capacities for which have been really affected. Therefore, the Government, especially in terms of the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA), is supporting more than 100 companies to reach different export markets.
People are also choosing to stay in the country because of hope and higher levels of convenience. Different aspects of digitalisation have to be or have been looked at, especially in relation to transport, which is linked to the earlier question.
When transport and dealing with various Government organisations for day-to-day activities are hassle-free, when services are digitalised, especially in terms of payments to the Government, there is an increase in convenience. This is now being looked at in the digitalisation thrust. The private sector, through Industry 4.0, is more efficient, more effective, and more productive with the use of technology. I think there’s incentive for people to remain.
Meanwhile, it’s not only those in technology – people like doctors, engineers, and knowledge workers are also migrating. Lifestyles being uplifted in Sri Lanka through digitalisation will also become a mechanism for people to be retained in the country.
Sri Lanka is falling behind when it comes to technology for the modernisation of critical infrastructure, such as public transport. What extent of automation is the State looking at in public transport management and are we geared for this?
The Government has already taken the necessary steps to develop the action plan/roadmap – the Sahasara project – and has initiated the automation of public transport management in the country. Some of the projects have already been operationalised; for example, passenger seat reservations for long-route buses and trains – these services have already been adopted by people who use public transport.
There are also some pilot initiatives being conducted for cashless payments and GPS monitoring of bus routes. The objective is to have one national IT platform for passenger transport service management. Initiatives are also being implemented for private bus seat management for long-route buses.
We also have the necessary infrastructure and resources in place locally, such as telecommunication infrastructure, data centre facilities, payment mechanisms, expertise in software systems, skills, IT resources, and the legal framework.
There has been some uproar over the proposed privatisation of Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT). The President’s Secretary recently said it would go ahead regardless. What measures will the Government take to ensure there is adequate sovereign control of critical communications systems?
SLT does not come under our purview; it is under the purview of the Ministry of Finance.
In terms of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL), will the regulator legislation be updated?
During the past it was identified that some areas in the regulatory legislation (Sri Lanka Telecommunications Act No. 25 of 1991 as amended by Act No. 27 of 1996) need to be amended to meet present and future requirements for the development of the telecom industry in Sri Lanka.
The process of the amendment to the act has already been started and it was suggested to make the amendments in the necessary sections rather than drafting a completely new act. This amendment of the act is in line with the Government digitalisation initiatives.
In terms of new broadcast media regulations, how will the frequencies be managed? Will there be a new auction of frequencies for broadcast media?
The assignment of radio frequencies for terrestrial broadcasting will be made based on the media licences issued to the respective broadcasters. The radio spectrum for terrestrial broadcasting will be authorised to be utilised as per the recommendations of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for radio (FM) and television services.
The TRCSL assigns broadcasting frequencies and issues frequency licences to broadcasters under the Sri Lanka Telecommunications Act No. 25 of 1991 as amended by Act, No. 27 of 1996 for FM radio and television services as follows:
Assignment of frequencies for FM radio service: in order to mitigate the frequency interference among FM broadcasters, in 2012 TRCSL took a policy decision to assign FM frequencies to particular FM channels on islandwide basis and from 2012, TRCSL has been practising this policy.
In the event of applications for a frequency by a broadcaster, if a free FM frequency is available, TRCSL assigns the frequency on an administrative process on ‘first come, first served’ basis.
Assignment of frequencies for television service: In terrestrial TV broadcasting, TV channels will be assigned on a provincial basis and based on location. In this process the frequencies are not assigned to particular TV channels on islandwide basis all the time, but TV frequencies are assigned based on province and location under an administrative process on ‘first come, first served’ basis.
Sri Lanka’s electronic media operates on analogue platforms. Given the delay in the digitisation programme, if there is a breakdown in any of the analogue stations, finding spare parts will be a huge challenge. How will the Government manage such a situation?
Digitisation of the terrestrial television broadcasting process has already been initiated by the Ministry of Mass Media in collaboration with TRCSL.
The legislation for the protection of undersea communication cables has been delayed for over two years. Has there been any progress in this regard?
The Ocean Affairs, Environment, and Climate Change Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in the process of developing a National Submarine Cable Protection and Resilience Framework. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the TRCSL are also working together with assistance from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Japan, following initial interest in the topic at the 2018 ‘Indian Ocean: Defining our Future’ conference held in Colombo.
There has been an increase in cybercrimes. What is the approach the Government has adopted in addressing this issue?
The draft Cyber Security Bill has been prepared and submitted to the Legal Draftsman’s Department. The proposed bill has provisions for the protection of national critical information infrastructure.
The Cyber Security Strategy has been prepared for 2019-2023 by the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (Sri Lanka CERT). The new Cyber Security Strategy for 2024-2028 is being prepared.
In addition, the Information and Cyber Security Policy was approved by the Cabinet in 2022 and is being implemented. In this regard, the Ministry of Technology has issued a circular to all line ministries. Sri Lanka CERT has identified 37 institutions which have critical information infrastructure to implement the policy in the first round.
This ministry has taken steps to coordinate with the Computer Crimes Division of the Sri Lanka Police, Sri Lanka CERT, TRCSL, and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka to work closely to find the persons responsible for cybercrimes and to bring them to justice. The Government is also looking at reviewing the existing laws to ensure that they are adequate to address modern-day crimes.
The cybercrime rate has gone up due to increased penetration of smart devices locally and globally. There is an increasing trend of cybercrimes affecting Sri Lanka being committed by those who are overseas. The Government has already taken steps to work with foreign parties (countries and organisations) to resolve cross-border crimes, for example the Budapest Convention.
The TRCSL issued common minimum cyber security guidelines for State institutions but many State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) seem to be ignoring these. How will these guidelines be implemented?
This area falls under the purview of Sri Lanka CERT. The Government has approved the Information and Cyber Security Policy for Government organisations and it was launched last month. This will enforce the minimum security standards in all Government organisations, including SOEs.