Marking the first step in digitizing government services, Sri Lanka is set to launch GovPay, enabling a more efficient method of payment for such services for the country’s citizens.
According to the Ministry of Digital Economy, the platform will integrate 16 government institutions with 30 more joining in two further phases until full implementation is reached by April, and will modernize revenue collection processes.
GovPay will be launched by president Anura Kumara Dissanayake today (07).
As Sri Lanka advances in its digital transformation with one of the DPI pillars being the Sri Lanka Unique Digital Identification (SL-UDI), scholars have homed in on the need for a robust cybersecurity strategy.
The concern is predicated over cooperation with neighboring India. While Sri Lanka’s neighbor has provided considerable assistance, since India has experience with digital identity with its Aadhaar system, it has prompted critics to call attention to the need to safeguard critical infrastructure, which in this case is digital infrastructure.
Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eranga Weeraratne said that Sri Lanka is steaming ahead with SL-UDI and recently procured 350 units of biometric hardware, including high-resolution cameras and fingerprint scanners.