Business

The government is focused on promoting a cashless economy and introducing digital IDs in Sri Lanka. A review meeting took place on the 19th at the Presidential Secretariat to discuss the progress of various projects aimed at this goal, including the digitalization of government services and the promotion of QR transactions. The meeting was chaired by Minister of Digital Economy, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. According to the President’s Media Division, the talks highlighted ongoing efforts to support a cashless economy. Key topics included the digitalization of government offices, the establishment of a Cloud infrastructure center, and a national initiative for high-speed broadband access. They also discussed providing single-window services, the digital ID card project, and the digitalization of traffic spot fine payments. The President pointed out that many rural communities operate in the informal sector, stressing the importance of documenting these activities for future economic and development strategies. The meeting also reviewed the work and future plans of various institutions under the Ministry of Digital Economy, including Sri Lanka CERT, the Data Protection Authority, and the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC). Additionally, they examined the status and new hires at the GovTech institution, which is responsible for implementing the government's digitalization efforts. Deputy Minister of Digital Economy, Eranga Weeraratne, along with several senior officials, including Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake and Senior Presidential Adviser on Digital Economy Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, participated in the discussions.