Public service boosted by e-Government

PUBLIC service will be made more people-friendly through e-Government programme, said Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya.

The Minister said that the Government had already been able to greatly facilitate public service through the Re-engineering Government Programme implemented by the ICT Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) under the ‘e-Sri Lanka’ initiative. The Minister said that the issue of certified copies of marriage, birth and death certificates in a few minutes was an important public service thus facilitated.  The Minister made these comments while inaugurating the programme of issuing certified copies of marriage, birth and death certificates within a few minutes in the Kegalle District at the District Secretariat last Friday.  Speaking further, the Minister said that there would be a huge transformation in the country’s information technology sector. “A programme that ensures that the public receive public service more comfortably by increasing the people’s IT knowledge will be prepared,” the Minister emphasised.

Participating in the occasion, ICTA Chief Executive Officer Reshan Devapura thanked Minister Siyambalapitiya for the initiative taken to bring the birth, marriage and death certificate automation project to the Kegalle District as a new year gift to the people of Kegalle.

“This automation project has by now been successfully completed in the Colombo District and the six million people living in the District are now able to obtain their birth certificate details in a few minutes by using IT,” Devapura said.

Placing the extension of the BMD automation project to the Kegalle District in its historical perspective, the ICTA CEO continued: “Under the guidance of the President, we all work towards making the optimum benefits of IT accrue to the people in rural areas. Five years ago we began the ‘e-Sri Lanka’ programme to uplift the standard of life by making every citizen of Sri Lanka enjoy the optimum benefits of IT. For this purpose we have been able to provide optimum service to the people of this country through projects ranging from the rural ‘nenasala’ wisdom outlets to the Government Information Centre and from the automation of activities of the Divisional Secretariats to the village level e-Society projects.” Emphasising the benefits available for the people, particularly of the Kegalle District as a result of the extended project, Devapura said that he hoped invaluable service would be rendered to the people through the project of issuing birth, marriage and death certificates aided by automation.

Telecommunications and IT Ministry Secretary Nimal Atukorale, ICTA Chairman Prof. P. W. Epasinghe and ICTA Senior Programme Head – Strategic Communications and Media Athula Pushpakumara also participated in the event.