ICTA launches ‘Digital Government Forms’ to redefine public service delivery

The Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka yesterday announced a pivotal advancement in public service delivery with the launch of the ‘Digital Government Forms’ solution. 

This ground-breaking initiative promises to revolutionise the way Government services are accessed and delivered throughout Sri Lanka.

The Digital Government Forms project, funded under the World Bank’s Contingent Emergency Response Components (CERC) Initiative and successfully piloted in December 2022, marks a significant milestone in modernising Government service interactions. 

Nine Government organisations, recognising the potential for transformative change, embraced this digital platform during the pilot phase, thereby digitising their manual forms and paving the way for a more efficient, citizen-centric service landscape.

Traditionally, Government services have often involved citizens visiting Government offices, filling out paper request forms and submitting them in person. While this method has been in place for some time, it has presented challenges in terms of efficiency, paperwork management and convenience.

The Digital Government Forms solution represents a pioneering digital platform that empowers Government organisations to seamlessly design, deploy and distribute service forms online. This system, accessible via various digital devices, including PCs, mobile phones and tablets, is agile and adaptable to meet evolving needs. Crucially, this solution eliminates paper usage, elevates data security and ensures traceability.

This solution offers a range of key features designed to enhance the experience for both Government organisations and citizens alike. It enables access to Government forms through forms.gov.lk, while providing real-time tracking of requests’ status with notifications at every processing stage.

For Government organisations, the benefits of Digital Government Forms solution are substantial. It promises heightened operational efficiency, substantial savings in paper, time and storage space, and liberation from the cumbersome task of managing and safeguarding paper documents. The platform streamlines processes, enabling the swift identification and resolution of bottlenecks, while facilitating efficient data collection directly from citizens. It simplifies data archiving and retrieval while enhancing resilience to external threats.

By the end of 2025, ICTA envisions a nationwide Digital Government Forms solution presence, with a minimum of 25% of citizens opting for online service applications and an impressive 75% expressing satisfaction with their digital service experiences.

Citizens, too, reap numerous benefits from Digital Government Forms solution, including reduced need for in-person visits to Government offices, substantial cost and time savings, and the convenience of accessing services from the comfort of their homes. It enhances efficiency in public service delivery, reduces paper usage across the public sector, and fortifies the security and reliability of personal data.

The introduction of this solution marks a significant leap forward, promising a future defined by convenience, efficiency and transparency in Sri Lanka’s public service delivery landscape. ICTA remains unwavering in its commitment to advancing Sri Lanka’s Government sector through sustainable growth and innovation, with this solution standing as a monumental step towards realising this vision.