Sri Lanka to launch three new digital services today

Taking a significant step toward a digital society, three new digital initiatives will be introduced today (February 7) at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo under the leadership of Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

These initiatives include:

1. The launch of the GovPay system – aimed at digitizing all government payments.
2. Decentralization of President’s Fund services – extending them from the main office in Colombo to Divisional Secretariats.
3. Introduction of the EBMD (Electronic Birth, Marriage, and Death Certificates) system – allowing Sri Lankans abroad to obtain certified copies of these documents through Sri Lankan diplomatic missions.

These initiatives will officially take effect today.

Media Briefing on Digital Economy Initiatives

A media briefing on these new digital initiatives was held yesterday (February 6) at the Presidential Media Center, chaired by Deputy Minister of Digital Economy, Eranga Weeraratne. The event was attended by key officials, including:

• Roshan Gamage – Senior Additional Secretary to the President and Secretary of the President’s Fund
• M.K. Pathmanathan – Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Harsha Purasinghe – Director of the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA)
• Channa De Silva – CEO of LankaPay

Digital Transformation Under the Presidential Vision

Deputy Minister Eranga Weeraratne emphasized that these initiatives align with the President’s vision of creating a digital society. He highlighted that fraud and inefficiencies in cash-based transactions have been major challenges in government payments, and digitizing all transactions is a key step toward addressing these issues.

Additionally, the minister stated that promoting digital payments would enhance the accessibility and reliability of government services for the public.

Expansion of President’s Fund Services

Since its establishment in 1978, the President’s Fund services have only been available at its main office in Colombo. However, starting today, these services will be accessible at all 341 Divisional Secretariats across the country. Trained staff under the supervision of Divisional Secretaries will handle registrations using new digital technology.

Roshan Gamage, Senior Additional Secretary to the President, stated that this initiative aims to bring President’s Fund services closer to the people and ensure that beneficiaries receive assistance more efficiently.

Digital Access to Birth, Marriage, and Death Certificates for Sri Lankans Abroad

As part of the government’s policy to enhance the welfare of Sri Lankans overseas, the EBMD system will be launched tomorrow under the President’s leadership. This system enables Sri Lankans abroad to obtain certified copies of birth, marriage, and death certificates through diplomatic missions, reducing delays associated with traditional procedures.

M.K. Pathmanathan, Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, explained that this system will connect diplomatic missions directly to the Registrar General’s Department, enabling them to issue certified copies instantly.

This new method replaces the existing time-consuming process and takes effect today.

Access to GovPay and Future Digitalization

Detailed information about Sri Lankan government institutions using GovPay will be available at www.GovPay.lk from 12:00 PM today (February 7).

Harsha Purasinghe, Director of ICTA, stated that this digital transformation is an ongoing process, with the ultimate goal of fully digitalizing all government services in Sri Lanka.

Clarifying further on this matter, Deputy Minister of Digital Economy, Eranga Weeraratne, stated:

“Currently, this payment facility has been introduced for 16 government services. By April, we expect to extend it to another 30 services. Through this, we are also working towards reducing the transaction cost to around Rs. 15 in the future.”