The Government has allocated Rs. 01 Million each to all District Secretariat Offices and Divisional Secretariat Offices across the island under the ‘Praja Shakthi’ National Programme.
According to the President’s Office, this funding is for the procurement of necessary information technology hardware and services, including laptops and computers, as well as for building the related capacity of officers.
A key ambition of the present government is to modernise the public service to enable the delivery of a more efficient and higher quality service to the public. Consequently, efforts are currently in progress to establish a public service that utilizes digital technology, thereby replacing outdated methodologies and equipment. Furthermore, the government’s expectation is to gradually extend this programme to the entire system of public institutions in all parts of the island, not limiting it to Colombo alone.
Accordingly, the ‘Praja Shakthi’ National Programme, together with the Ministry of Digital Economy, has arranged for the provision of Rs. 369 million to modernise the district and regional administrative mechanisms. In this manner, this is the first instance where funds have been directly allocated for the development of regional information technology capabilities. Moreover, the government expects to increase the level of direct investment required to enhance the use of information technology in government institutions and to allocate funding for it annually from the budget.
Furthermore, it is expected that management activities, such as identifying suitable development project proposals to be implemented under the ‘Praja Shakthi’ National Programme and reviewing the progress of those respective projects, will be carried out through a digital platform. The information technology system required for this was launched recently. Through this, the government aims to efficiently implement its rural and regional development programmes and to operate them with transparency, making it accessible to the people. (Newswire)