Taking a significant step towards transforming the country into a digital society, three new digital initiatives will be introduced tomorrow (07) at the Presidential Secretariat under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Disanayake.
The initiatives include the launch of the ‘GovPay’ platform for the digitalization of all government payments, expanding the services of the President’s Fund from the main office in Colombo to the Divisional Secretariat level, and the introduction of the Electronic Birth, Marriage, and Death Certificates (EBMD) facility, allowing Sri Lankans abroad to obtain certified copies of birth, marriage, and death certificates through electronic means at Sri Lankan diplomatic missions. These services will be available starting tomorrow.
A media briefing regarding this was held today (06) at the Presidential Media Centre (PMC), with the presence of Deputy Minister of Digital Economy, Engineer Eranga Weeraratne. The session was attended by senior officials, including Secretary of the President’s Fund and the Senior Additional Secretary to the President, Roshan Gamage, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, M.K. Padmanadan; Chairman of the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA), Director Harsha Purasinghe and Chief Executive Officer of Lanka Pay, Channa De Silva.
Speaking at the briefing, Deputy Minister Engineer Eranga Weeraratne stated that, following the guidance of President Anura Kumar Disanayake, these new digital approaches have been introduced as part of the government’s efforts to realize the vision of transitioning the country towards a digital society.
The Deputy Minister pointed out that cash-based payment fraud and corruption have led to increased inefficiencies in transaction processes. To address these challenges, the government is taking steps to digitize all government payments.
Furthermore, the Deputy Minister highlighted that promoting digital payments would provide the public with more convenient and trustworthy services.
The President’s Fund, which started in 1978, has previously accepted applications only at the main office in Colombo. However, starting tomorrow, the services will be available at 341 regional secretariat offices across the country. Under the supervision of the Divisional Secretaries, a trained staff will carry out these registrations using new technology, stated Secretary of the President’s Fund and the Senior Additional Secretary to the President, Roshan Gamage.
The Senior Additional Secretary further stated that this initiative will not only bring the services of the President’s Fund closer to the public but will also ensure that those who are entitled to these services will receive them appropriately.
The current government policy towards Sri Lankans abroad includes providing efficient and convenient services through diplomatic missions. In line with this, the electronic method (EBMD) to obtain birth, marriage, and death certificates through the consular services will begin tomorrow under the patronage of the President, said the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, M.K. Padmanadan.
He further stated that instead of the out-dated methods for obtaining birth, marriage, and death certificates, electronic technology will now connect consular offices to the Registrar General’s Department’s data system, enabling copies of certificates to be issued directly from the consulate. This new process will be implemented starting tomorrow.
Addressing the briefing Harsha Purasinghe, the Chairman of the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) stated that detailed information regarding the state institutions offering the GovPay service will be available on the www.GovPay.lk website after 12 noon tomorrow (07). This digitalization process will be a continuous effort, with the final goal of digitizing all government services. (PMD)