President’s Office pushes for e-Govt.

The President's Office has directed state institutions to shift from the manual to digital mode by using electronic communications in sharing documents and records for official purposes.

Issuing a circular to ministries, state ministries, government departments, state- owned enterprises (SOEs) and corporations, Presidential Secretary P.B. Jayasundera noted several institutions had taken steps in recent past in this regard including the use of electronic signatures for internal use. "But the general adoption of digital methods for official purposes is not yet satisfactory and there is room for improvement," he said.

As the COVID-19 pandemic changed the traditional work mode in recent times coupled with the decision by the government calling state employees to report to work, the Presidential circular noted that switching to digital work mode would enhance efficiency and productivity whilst benefiting from the legal framework of the Electronic Transactions Act (ETA).

The circular also noted that all legal requirements for using electronic documents, electronic records, and electronic communications (including e-mail) for official purposes have been addressed by the Electronic Transactions Act (ETA) No 19 of 2006 as amended by Act No 25 of 2017.

Under the ETA framework, a digital signature can be accepted to fill applications, forms and any other government documentation process. Information contained in data messages, electronic documents or records and electronic communication can be legally recognised as equivalent to paperbased documents.

Where certain laws make it mandatory to authenticate any information or communication by affixing a signature, such requirement is deemed to be met through an electronic signature, the circular noted while indicating that the Central Bank’s LankaClear and the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) will provide required guidance.

The october 1 dated circular set the deadline for digitalisation by December 31 this year, during which period implementation progress report should be sent to the Presidential Secretariat and other relevant departments.