Sri Lanka’s President promises digital access to all State services
Daily FT: President Anura Kumara Disanayake visiting Jaffna recently said that the public would soon be able to carry out all payments and transactions related to any State-sector institution via dedicated digital channels, in keeping with his Government’s pledge to improve services for all citizens.
He said that digitalisation was a key program of the present Government that would decentralise all administrative functions of the State sector, which were previously confined to Colombo, to remote rural villages, thereby giving the people the opportunity to access Government services much more conveniently, according to a statement from the President’s Media Division.
President Disanayake said this while participating in an event to open the Jaffna Regional Office of the Department of Immigration and Emigration.
Until now, the people of Jaffna, Kilinochchi, and Mullaitivu had to travel a long distance to the Vavuniya Regional Office, the only regional office in the Northern Province, to obtain immigration and emigration services. As the number of foreign passport applications from the Northern Province is increasing, this regional office was opened to fulfil the need for a more easily accessible location.
The issuance of three passports by the President symbolised the commencement of providing Department of Immigration and Emigration services to the people of Jaffna.
Subsequently, at a meeting with Jaffna district public officials held at the auditorium of the Jaffna District Secretariat, the President stated that in order to meet the expectations of the people, political authorities and public officials must work together.
The President emphasised that while the Government will do its utmost to protect public officials who use their authority for the welfare of the people, it will not hesitate to enforce the law against those who misuse that authority for monetary gain. He further stated that, at present, all public servants in the country have the opportunity to fulfil their duty to the nation. The President further pointed out that a strong public service is needed to build the country and behind the development of every developed country in the world, there is a strong public service.
Further expressing his views, President Anura Kumara Disanayake said: “Today, we have established facilities for obtaining services from the Regional Office of the Department of Immigration and Emigration at the Jaffna District Secretariat. Although symbolically it was the issuance of an immigration document, our intervention in this task had a much broader purpose. Our entire administrative structure has been centred in Colombo, compelling people living in distant provinces to travel to Colombo for many services. The aim of our government is to decentralise this administration to even the most remote rural villages. Facilities must be arranged so that citizens can access Government services close to them. By next year, our objective is to enable people to carry out all their transactions with the Government through computer software systems and even from their mobile phones. The foremost priority of our government is digitalisation.”
OSL take:
Sri Lanka has launched an ambitious digitization programme covering all sectors including state and private sectors, aimed at transforming the country into an e-economy in line with its target of becoming a hub in the South Asian region. The country’s geographical positioning in the Indian Ocean, the strong trade ties enjoyed with many foreign countries and the business conducive environment in the country have all placed Sri Lanka as an emerging business destination in the region with foreign businesses/investors showing much interest in the country. With Sri Lanka focused on developing its digital industry to be on par with the fast-evolving international standards, there are many business/investment opportunities in this industry and related sectors. The ICT and digital infrastructure development sectors present many lucrative ventures to foreign businesses/investors. The expansion and profits recorded by businesses already engaged in Sri Lanka’s digital industry and the continuing expansion of the industry indicate the growth and business potential of the country’s digital industry and related sectors. Foreign businesses/investors could therefore confidently explore the expanding business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s digital industry and related sectors.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20250908/Z_2 |