The government has taken steps to implement a modern, technology-driven Inventory Control System to ensure the swift and transparent delivery of relief assistance to communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka.
A special discussion on the next phase of implementing this system was held at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday, with officials from the Presidential Secretariat, the Ministry of Defence, the National Disaster Relief Services Centre (NDRSC), the Ministry of Digital Economy and the private technology firm Scienter Technologies participating in the meeting.
With the intervention of the Presidential Secretariat, this newly introduced software system has been launched at the NDRSC to streamline the disaster relief distribution process. The system enables accurate recording and effective management of all in-kind assistance received from foreign governments, international organizations, the Sri Lankan diaspora and local and international donors from the point of collection until it reaches the final beneficiaries.
Through this computerized system, all non-financial foreign assistance received from overseas is fully digitized. The entire distribution process is monitored end-to-end, from the arrival of goods by air or sea to their delivery to the final recipients in need, ensuring transparency, accountability and efficiency throughout the relief operation.
Under the new process, relief supplies will be stored at the main warehouse of the NDRSC in Orugodawatta. Needs will be identified at the Grama Niladhari division level, and Divisional Secretaries will submit requests through the system accordingly. These requests will be forwarded directly by the District Secretaries to the NDRSC. Subsequently, the relevant relief items will be distributed to the affected communities in the respective Grama Niladhari divisions through the District and Divisional Secretaries.
The President’s Office states that as all stages of this process are recorded within the system, it ensures that relief reaches those genuinely affected without undue delays, while maintaining full transparency and accountability in the management and distribution of assistance.
The software system has been provided entirely free of charge by the private technology firm Scienter Technologies. In addition, Orel Cloud and Microsoft have agreed to extend the required technical support at no cost.
Accordingly, all parties reached a consensus at the meeting to sign the relevant Memorandum of Understanding in the coming week.
As a further development of the system, Scienter Technologies has also agreed to design, free of charge, a Mobile App that will enable Grama Niladhari officers to report disaster situations in real time. (Newswire)