By: Staff Writer
August 29, Colombo (LNW): The Government has directed Heads of key State Departments to update its Information Technology (IT) system to boost efficiency and quality of public services.
The move comes following a Cabinet decision on 5 August, which involves mandatory inclusion of National Identity Card (NIC) numbers, Passport numbers and Company Registration numbers in all relevant Government IT systems.
The Finance, Economic Stabilisation and National Policies Ministry on Monday issued a circular, addressing all Secretaries to Ministers, Chief Secretaries of Provincial Councils, Heads of Departments/District Secretaries, Heads of State Corporations, Statutory Boards, Universities and Higher Education Institutions and Chairpersons of State-owned Enterprises to ensure compliance with the mandatory inclusion of information related to company/business registration number along with NIC and passport numbers with nationality of individuals.
It also added that all Heads of Institutions should ensure to take action during next year to develop the existing IT systems and IT systems being at the developing or planning stages and to include requisite financial provisions in this respect into the Budget Estimates for the year 2025 and the Medium Term Budgetary Framework for the year 2026 and 2027 in terms of Section 03.1(i) I of the National Budget Circular No. 02/2024 dated 12 August 2024.
In addition, it directs all Heads of institutions to take action to comply with the provisions of the Personal Data Protection Act No. 07 of 2022 and the instructions provided under the Circular No. MOT/2023/02 dated 21 September 2023 of the Ministry of Technology.
It added that the circular was issued with the approval of the Registration of Persons, Immigration and Emigration, Registrar of Companies and Registrar General’s Department.
Relying on legacy information technology (IT) systems makes it difficult for government agencies to overcome (or even address) these challenges.
Inefficiency, outdated processes, and concerns around privacy and data security slow down service delivery and negatively impact constituents — and isn’t scalable for the future.
Findings by the Deloitte Center for Government Insights note that innovations creating value in new waysopens in a new window often won’t work with old business processes and that increasing time savings and reducing backlogs requires new systems and processes.
That said, government IT modernization is more than just new technology or integrating legacy systems. It requires a complete redesign of business processes and, more often than not, a cultural shift in thinking.
However, this is hard to accomplish alone. So much so that a global digital survey of government officials found that 85% felt collaboration with external partnersopens in a new window positively impacted their agencies.
Engaging a technology partner in an effort to accelerate innovation can enable government agencies to more efficiently and effectively meet modern-day demands and better address the needs of the constituents they serve.
