Hard to restore country until current generation ends: Ranjan

Former Minister Ranjan Ramanayake stated that it would be difficult to restore the country until the end of the present generation due to the country's debt of nearly Rs. 14 trillion.

Former actor-turned Parliamentarian Ranjan Ramanayake recently returned from the United States with a donation of 2,000 laptops to distribute among children and youth with special needs and economic difficulties.

Addressing the media after launching his free laptop distribution program, he said knowledge should be shared among the younger generation and it is the best opportunity to raise the country from the present precarious situation.

"Sri Lanka has more human resources, but the majority of those resources are underused and employed under labour category. "However, in most developed countries, people use their human resources to earn billions of dollars by staying at home, he said.

The people in our country faced many difficulties when reporting to their duties during the COVID pandemic. If all systems were computerized and linked through the internet, the country wouldn't go back and hit the economy, he said.

Therefore, we should stand by this and create a workforce equipped with the knowledge of information technology (IT). India, our neighbouring country has begun promoting IT knowledge among the young generation.

"The previous governments attempted to distribute tab computers among the schoolchildren. But the program was shelved. "If that program was initiated, the children may not have faced difficulties continuing with their studies," the former minister said.

Before the conclusion of the event, the former minister thanked all the people who donated the laotops for his charity program.

This program does not fall under any political party and is not backed by any politician. All citizens of the country will benefit from this.

The former MP said that even though his rights to engage in politics were curtailed, his right to engage in social service cannot been limited.

Mr. Ramanayake also requested the public not to be a victim or engage in fake programs conducted on various social media platforms claiming free distribution of laptops by him. (Chaturanga Pradeep Samarawickrama)