May 14, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka’s push towards modernising public services has gathered pace, with the government confirming that digital payment facilities have now been introduced in 130 local government bodies across the country.
The initiative, carried out through the GOV PAY system, is aimed at simplifying transactions between citizens and local authorities while reducing delays, paperwork and inefficiencies associated with manual payment processes.
Officials from the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government stated that residents in the connected local councils are now able to make a range of payments electronically, including assessment taxes, trade licence fees and other municipal charges.
Deputy Minister Ruwan Senarath said preparations are currently underway to extend the digital platform to all remaining local government institutions before the end of June.
He noted that the broader objective of the programme is to create a more transparent and efficient public administration system while encouraging greater adoption of digital services among the public.