Although several Information Communication Technology (ICT) development initiatives were previously put into place in the regions, they failed to produce the desired outcomes.
An additional critical aspect is the absence of a benchmark system to assess the development and a mechanism to effectively reach and engage individuals at the regional and grassroots levels.
Objectives
The overall objective is to increase digital inclusion and adoption across the country by creating a conducive environment. Specific objectives;
1. Increase the digital literacy of the people in the district.
2. Improve infrastructure facilities in the district.
3. Increase contribution to the ICT workforce from the district.
4. Increase technology diffusion and innovations.
5. Increase startups and freelancers.
6. Provide citizen-friendly and citizen-centric public service within the district.
Approach
To begin with, we initiated the creation of Smart Social Circles (SSC), which are IT clubs established at the village level. These circles aimed to empower individuals by training Knowledge Agents (KAs) who consisted of government officers and knowledgeable individuals from within the village. Additionally, we formed District Digital Transformation Committees (DDTC) by involving all key stakeholders within the district. The objective was to ensure an effective and efficient digital transformation of the entire district, guided by the District Digital Readiness Index (DRI). The DRI serves as a national indicator for prioritizing programs, allocating resources, and monitoring the effectiveness of regional-level digital transformation initiatives."

https://www.facebook.com/SMARTSocialCircleSriLanka

• Sri Lanka

• The poor
• Remote and rural communities

The Smart Social Circle project was initially introduced as a pilot project in 60 villages, and its success prompted its expansion to encompass 860 villages nationwide. While we initially received requests from other villages to implement the project, it has also grown organically to reach additional villages. As a result of the project's outcomes, it became evident that a divisional and district-level mechanism was necessary to connect with the Smart Social Circles. To address this need, we established 25 District Digital Transformation Committees (DDTCs) that cover all 25 districts. These committees provide a structured approach to digital transformation within the districts, as significant digital gaps exist both between and within the districts. Currently, we have a national-level strategy in place for digital transformation and a robust mechanism for engaging individuals at the grassroots level. In 2018, we received requests from several countries to establish a similar system in their respective nations.
Currently, we have established DDTC a district-level responsible entity dedicated to implementing an effective and efficient digital transformation within each district. The Committee is chaired by the District Secretary, the highest-ranking officer in the district, and this committee consists of all key stakeholders from the district. Together, they collaborate to ensure comprehensive engagement and participation. For each district, we have developed both short-term and long-term action plans specifically designed to facilitate the digital transformation process. In this endeavor, Smart Social Circles (SSCs) play a crucial role in reaching individuals at the grassroots level and gathering valuable village-level information for strategic planning purposes.
District Digital Transformation committee approach can be adopted in other regions and countries as it has a standard mechanism of working and governance embedded with District Digital Readiness Assessment

All segments of society including women and Disabled The project covered all 25 districts in the country and selected 100 DS divisions and 800 GN divisions. 10 knowledge Agents were selected within the GN division. Five KAs were government officers working at the grassroots level and another five were from the village. Thereafter, carried out an awareness program for knowledge agents. Upon completion of traning, SMART Social Circle launched with the participation of key stakeholders, KAs, Partners, and the community in the particular district and this was a half a day program & average of 100 people participated. Also, got the support of young dynamic voluntary undergraduates from the particular village to drive this project. The DDTC established in all 25 districts to create a mechanism to reach people and engage local key stakeholders in the district to do an effective digital transformation by identifying, prioritizing, supporting, and promoting technology based on its specific needs and conditions in the district. All Digital transformation initiatives to be implemented in a particular district liaise with the DDTC and it consist of nominated voluntary members in the district and this will Act as the single point of contact between ICTA and the community, Identifying /Advising district needs, challenges, and opportunities & Sharing resources and expertise on implementing Digital Transformation strategy Approach 1. Conduct Consultative meetings. 2. Create awareness sessions for District Secretaries with the collaboration of the Ministry of Home Affairs at the GA conference. 3. Set up DDTC. 4. Launch DDTC & Offering ToR to DDTC members. 5. Create an Action plan. 6. Finalize the time frame for implementing the projects. 7. Link all key stakeholders and partners. 8. Implement projects with the participation of the district’s Key Stakeholders. The activities carried out by the committee monitor at the regional and national level by the government policy makers for sustainability/dev purposes.