Govt allocates Rs.18 bn to accelerate public sector digitalisation

The government has embarked on an ambitious programme to digitalise the public sector with the aim of accelerating digitalisation of Sri Lanka’s economy.

The Finance Ministry will be accelerating digitalisation of the economy and service delivery by leveraging advanced technology-based solutions allocating Rs.18 billion for next year, State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya disclosed.

The core objectives of the programme are to enhance the efficiency of government service delivery and bolster the competitiveness of the IT and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry.

IT will be pursued by focusing on key priorities including data protection, the development of related infrastructure, cyber security enhancement, and skills development, he pointed out.

In this endeavour, the finance ministry has emphasised on bridging the “digital divide,” ensuring that all citizens have equitable access to connectivity, digital skills, and technology.

Around 860 government institutions ranging from Divisional Secretariats to District Secretariats, Ministries, and a selected set of departments have been connected through the Lanka Government Network (LGN).

This network, established with the intent of safe data sharing between government institutions, is poised to expand to 1,700 public institutions in the near future.

Moreover, around 200 government institutions have harnessed the Lanka

Government Cloud as their server.

Additionally, the finance ministry has already digitalised most government expenditure and revenue management systems, eliminating geographical constraints, a high official of the ministry revealed.

By the end of 2022, the number of Internet connections was nearly on par with the country’s population. Seamless 4G mobile coverage is also providing widespread Internet access across most of the island, the finance ministry official added.