INTERNATIONAL RESOURCE PERSONS

Dr. B.K. Gairola
In his extensive career, Dr. B.K. Gairola has worked on various projects at the National Informatics Centre (NIC), a leading information technology (IT) organization providing state-of-the-art solutions for IT needs of the government of India. Dr. Gairola is responsible for conceiving, designing and implementing IT-based projects for the Indian government with large citizen interfaces. He has also provided consultant services to government institutions outside India.

His contributions have initiated cyber security programmes for both government and the economic sector, including the building of a secure cyber infrastructure for effective e-governance and cost-effective IT infrastructure in the country. His current interests include the understanding of social and psychological factors, crucial to the induction of information technology in society.

With a notable list of research and technical publications to his name, Dr. Gairola is also a familiar face at international conferences and workshops on science, technology and informatics. He holds a PhD in Computer Science and is a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Mahesh Chandra
In 1983, Dr. Mahesh Chandra joined the National Informatics Centre (NIC) that provides state-of-the-art solutions for information technology (IT) needs of the government of India. His contributions to projects in computer-aided design (CAD) have established a solid base for CAD and office automation in numerous areas of India as well as the development of software for optimizing construction and utility networks throughout the country.

His work for the Indian government has also included the transfer of technology and joint software development in collaboration with foreign governments. He has been involved in standardizing and improving the efficiency of public services on a large scale through the use of IT. Currently, his work includes projects on office automation, the installation of communication links including V-SATs, and feasibility studies.

Dr. Chandra holds a PhD in Computer Aided Design from the University of Roorkee and was awarded the National Khosla Award for best research contribution in 1984. He is the author of numerous papers and monographs in international journals, and is an IT consultant for several government departments in India. He is also a member of the National Accreditation Board in the field of Computer Sciences.

LOCAL RESOURCE PERSONS

Mr. Dilanthe Withanage
Dilanthe Withanage has worked as a lecturer and instructor at universities and educational institutions in Sri Lanka. He has been also been an examiner for several professional institutes in Sri Lanka, Russia and Australia and an IT consultant to the Ministry of Education, Sri Lanka.

Mr. Withanage has published several texts on information technology for accountants and business managers, and conducted research on ICT for development and education. He has been influential in the introduction of IT into the Sri Lankan school curriculum and has managed a wide variety of training sessions and workshops on ICT for parliamentarians, senior government officials, journalists and educationists. He was a member of the Steering Committee on ICT Policy of the Ministry of Economic Reforms, Science & Technology in 2002.

Mr. Withanage holds an MSc in Electronic Engineering specializing in Computers and is an Associate Member of Institute of Engineers in Sri Lanka