Attending the event, Minister Herath praised the recent advancements in service delivery for Sri Lankans abroad, crediting the dedicated efforts of the officials at the Presidential Secretariat, led by Senior Additional Secretary Roshan Gamage, and the Registrar General’s Department over the past two months.
“This opportunity for Sri Lankans abroad is the result of the dedicated efforts of these officials,” he stated, adding, “Even though this could have been implemented earlier, it required the necessary leadership to bring it to fruition. With the new political leadership, officials were able to realize this initiative within two months.”
Minister Herath highlighted that this achievement is the first successful initiative under the President’s digitalisation concept, describing it as a significant service to both the country and its economy. He elaborated, “For a fee of around $22, Sri Lankans abroad can now obtain essential documents from any country. We believe this initiative can be further developed to encompass all services.”
Addressing current challenges in passport services, Minister Herath acknowledged issues caused by prior decisions. “We recognize the ongoing difficulties faced by people regarding passport issuance. To address this, we have decided to initiate a tender for new passport printing. This will enable us to quickly procure the necessary passport quantities and incorporate the same technology for both renewals and new passport applications,” he explained.
The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment Arun Hemachandra, Secretary to the Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism Ministry Aruni Ranaraja, Registrar General W.R.N.S. Wijesinghe, Senior Additional Secretary (Administration and Diplomatic Affairs) G.G.S.C. Roshan, and other high-ranking officials from the relevant ministries.
