President orders unified National Digital System to streamline Sri Lanka’s Public Services

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has directed officials to establish a unified national digital framework across the entire public service, moving away from fragmented systems operated independently by separate institutions.

Speaking at a progress review meeting at the Presidential Secretariat on September 29, the President ordered the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government and the Ministry of Digital Economy to strictly align their efforts. To ensure seamless execution, three officers from the Ministry of Digital Economy will be embedded to assist the Ministry of Public Administration in refining existing systems, addressing operational gaps, and scaling up the national network.

Under the instructions, the government will rollout the Divisional Secretariat Digitalisation Programme as a fully equipped model module in one selected district before nationwide expansion. The meeting reviewed successful digital applications already tested in the Polonnaruwa District, including paddy purchasing and disaster relief distribution. The broader programme targets over 300 public services provided by Divisional Secretariats, networking operations from the Grama Niladhari level up through District Secretariats.

The review also examined the “GovHR” digital platform designed to digitize public sector human resource management from initial appointment through to retirement alongside expanded features for systems like GovPay. Key local government services targeted for complete digital integration include rates payments, commercial rentals, utility bills, public venue bookings, permit issuances, and public grievance resolution mechanisms (Newswire)