Friday Feb 07, 2025
Friday Feb 07, 2025
Friday, 7 February 2025 00:02 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Taking a significant step towards transforming the country into a digital society, three new digital initiatives will be introduced today at the Presidential Secretariat under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
The initiatives include the launch of the ‘GovPay’ platform for the digitalisation 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 today.
Deputy Minister Engineer Eranga Weeraratne told the media yesterday that, following the guidance of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, these new digital approaches have been introduced as part of the Government’s efforts to realise the vision of transitioning the country towards a digital society. He 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 digitise 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 Ministry of Foreign Affairs Additional Secretary M.K. Padmanadan.
He further stated that instead of the outdated methods for obtaining birth, marriage, and death certificates, electronic technology will now connect consular offices to the Registrar General 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, Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) Chairman Harsha Purasinghe stated that detailed information regarding the State institutions offering the GovPay service will be available on the www.GovPay.lk website after 12 noon. This digitalisation process will be a continuous effort, with the final goal of digitising all Government services.
