Sri Lanka’s National Archives Department to set up a digital store to conserve content
Sri Lanka’s Cabinet of Ministers has reportedly approved a proposal to set up a “digital store” in order to conserve the digital content archived at the Department of National Archives.
The proposal was made by Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in his capacity as the country’s Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs. The proposal has sought to establish a storage facility for digital content “adhering to international standards on digital conservation to ensure accountability and authenticity of those digital documents”.
“The National Archives is fortified with legitimate reserves of all publications including newspapers published in Sri Lanka from the 19th century as well as invaluable documents created in the Dutch and British colonial reigns since 1640 AD,” a statement issued by the government has noted.
“This collection is swelling day by day due to the enormous heap of documents added including the digital publications and documentaries, broadcasting and telecasting, websites and electronic mail (sic),” it has further added.
According to reports, the Department of National Archives in its current form operates under the provisions of the National Archives Law No. 48 of 1973, and National Archives (Amendment) Act No. 30 of 1981 and was originally established in 1947.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka is on the path to becoming a digitised economy and the authorities are fully committed to facilitate this transformation. This has created many business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s ICT and digital infrastructure development sectors. These two sectors are now on an expansion path and foreign businesses/investors could explore opportunities in Sri Lanka’s ICT and digital infrastructure development sectors. Sri Lanka is fast becoming a business hub in the South Asian region given its geographical positioning in the Indian ocean and the many trade agreements as well as the trade concessions enjoyed by the country.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20210409/Z_4 |