SL Prez requests India’s help to integrate IT in country’s civil service

COLOMBO: The head of Indian Institute of Good Governance shared India's experience to improve the performance of civil service using information technology with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who expressed interest in replicating this in his country.

The President met Bharat Lal, Director General of the Indian Institute of Good Governance, who visited Sri Lanka to discuss potential ways to enhance the country's civil service and improve government institution performance by implementing effective monitoring measures.

At the meeting at the President's official residence on Saturday, Lal "shared
how India was successful in integrating information technology into civil service", the President Media Division (PMD) stated.

"India's success in incorporating information technology into public service delivery, has resulted in significant progress and cost savings," he told the Sri Lankan head of state.

During the discussion, President Wickremesinghe urged Lal's assistance in establishing a University of Governance and Public Policy in Sri Lanka.

On Friday, launching a master plan to digitalise the country's economy by 2030, the President vowed to build a digitalised modern Sri Lanka by digitalising the government sector. He said that a Committee of Cabinet Ministers would be set up to ensure that the government sector digitalisation would be done speedily.

He said that it is a duty of the government to accelerate the digitalisation.

During the Saturday discussion with President Wickremesinghe, Lal was accompanied by Indian High Commissioner in Colombo, Gopal Baglay.