Three major digital initiatives will be introduced today, 7 February, at the Presidential Secretariat under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
The initiatives include the launch of the ‘GovPay’ platform for digitalizing all government payments, expanding the services of the President’s Fund to the Divisional Secretariat level, and introducing the Electronic Birth, Marriage, and Death Certificates (EBMD) facility, enabling Sri Lankans abroad to obtain certified copies of vital records through Sri Lankan diplomatic missions.
According to the President’s Media Division (PMD), these services will be available starting today.
A media briefing was held yesterday, 6 February, at the Presidential Media Centre (PMC), with Deputy Minister of Digital Economy, Engineer Eranga Weeraratne, and senior officials including Secretary of the President’s Fund Roshan Gamage, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs M.K. Padmanadan, ICTA Chairman Harsha Purasinghe, and LankaPay CEO Channa De Silva.
Deputy Minister Weeraratne stated that, under President Dissanayake’s guidance, these initiatives are part of the government’s broader strategy to transition Sri Lanka into a fully digital society. He emphasised that digitizing government payments will help curb cash-based fraud and inefficiencies, providing the public with more secure and convenient services.
The President’s Fund, which previously accepted applications only at its main office in Colombo, will now be accessible at 341 regional secretariats across the country, ensuring greater accessibility for citizens.
Meanwhile, the EBMD system will modernise the process of obtaining birth, marriage, and death certificates abroad by integrating consular offices with the Registrar General’s Department’s data system. This move eliminates outdated methods, allowing direct issuance of certified copies from Sri Lankan consulates.
ICTA Chairman Harsha Purasinghe announced that information on state institutions offering GovPay services will be available at www.GovPay.lk from 12 noon today.
The government aims to expand this digitalisation drive further, with the ultimate goal of fully digitizing all public services, the PMD stated.
