Demonstration of ITI Technologies at Dambulla Vidatha Centre

• New technologies developed by the National Engineering Research and workshops covering 60 Development Centre: bio-gas production, low-cost house construction technology and precast item manufacturing, cement and soil blocks and whitecoconut oil production have been introduced to 1705 beneficiaries in 37divisional secretariats by conducting 57 programmes.
  
• The Arthur C. Clarke Institute has conducted 16 divisional secretariats to transfer technologies on antenna designing, computer hardware, lightning prevention, mobile phone repair, practical electronic course and radio and television repairing to 386 beneficiaries.
• Six workshops have been conducted by the University of Colombo, in collaboration with NARA covering 6 divisional secretariats with the participation of 132 beneficiaries. Workshops on cultivation of banana, and manufacturing of banana chips, banana jam, sweets based on banana flour were among the programmes.
  
• Training programmes on the new kithul tapping technology, which is a technology becoming rapidly popular through the Vidatha programme, have been organized in almost all kitul growing districts in the island. Upto now, 78 workshops have been conducted in various divisional secretariats and 107 entrepreneurs have been supported with the technology as a result of these workshops.
  
• Programmes to introduce new kithul tapping technology were carried out as a special project setting up kithul villages, where kithul treacle processing is being done.
  
• The Science & Technology officers have reported that during this year, 247 entrepreneurs have benefited from the technology transfer programmes conducted at rural level under the Vidatha programme.