Ministry of Digital Economy Launches Program to Digitalize Government Payments

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Ministry of Digital Economy has announced the introduction of a special program to promote digital payments.

Deputy Minister Eranga Weeraratne stated that using cash for transactions costs approximately 1.5% of the annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

He also pointed out that cash payments lead to an increase in fraud and corruption, as well as numerous issues regarding payment efficiency.

The Deputy Minister added that all payments made to government institutions will be subject to digitalization.

Facilities have been provided through the GovPay app, and 16 government institutions are already connected to it.

Other government institutions are expected to be linked to the application in January 2025.

As a result, all payments to the government will be digitalized.

The Deputy Minister emphasized that this will improve efficiency in the overall system.

Additionally, he stated that promoting digital payments will reduce manual labor, eliminate inefficiencies and corrupt practices, and provide more convenient services to the public.