Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka
The Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) (Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකා තොරතුරු හා සන්නිවේදන තාක්‍ෂණ නියෝජිතායතනය "Shri Lanka Thorathuru Sannivedana Thakshana Niyojithayathanaya") is the lead agency in Sri Lanka for implementation of information and communications technology (ICT) initiatives by the Government of Sri Lanka. It was established to develop the economy of Sri Lanka through ICT. To this end, it works to improve both the technological capacity of the country, such as building infrastructure, and the readiness of its people, through education and human resources. It is also active in developing regulations around  the use of technology and disseminating information worldwide about Sri Lankan ICT. Its current Chairman is Prof. Lalith Gamage. Establishment. ICTA was established under the Information and Communication Technology Act, No. 27 of 2003 and strengthened by the ICT Amendment Act No. 33 of 2008. ICTA is functioning under the Ministry of Technology. The main thrust of ICTA is to set ICT policy as well as guide and direct national ICT development activities. The e-Swabhimani Award. e-Swabhimani, the “Digital Social Impact Awards” was launched in November 2009 with the objective of recognizing creativity and the skills of local  developers and thereby providing them a platform to showcase their solutions nationally and internationally. eSwabhimani looks at the novel applications that make a positive social impact on the lives of people. It is expected that National Recognition would spur a greater interest in leveraging on ICT for social and economic development of the Country and that it would contribute significantly towards a digital transformation. The contest is conducted along the lines of the World Summit Award, a global initiative within the framework of the United Nations World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), focusing on the UN Sustainable Development Goals  (SDG) and is a stepping stone to other regional and international awards.