Southern Province first to adopt GovPay for digital payments across all Secretariats

All District and Divisional Secretariats across the Southern Province are now empowered to accept digital payments following the adoption of GovPay, the Government Digital Payments Platform. 

This historic milestone was officially launched yesterday (15), at the Matara District Secretariat under the patronage of Eng. Eranga Weeraratna, Deputy Minister of Digital Economy. 

Accordingly, the Southern Province has become the first province in the country where all District and Divisional Secretariats are supported through digital payments via GovPay, the Ministry of Digital Economy said. 

The ceremonial launch was graced by Members of Parliament Akram Ismail, Lal Premananth and MP Harsha Purasinghe – Board Director of ICTA, Channa De Silva – Chief Executive Officer of LankaPay, Chandana Thilakarathna – District Secretary of Matara, along with many other distinguished guests.

Through this initiative, residents of the Southern Province now have the facility to make instant, convenient, and secure online payments for services at three District Secretariats and 50 Divisional Secretariats, using their bank’s internet/mobile banking portals connected to GovPay, or via any FinTech application linked to GovPay, at any time and from anywhere, the Ministry of Digital Economy stated.

According to the statement issued, with this expansion, the number of government institutions connected to GovPay has now risen to 132. Since its launch in February this year, GovPay has already facilitated payments worth over Rs. 110 million for 1,767 government services, with the participation of 14 banks and six FinTech applications, the Ministry stated. 

Sharing his views on this historic achievement, Eng. Eranga Weeraratna, Deputy Minister of Digital Economy, said:

“As the first province where all District and Divisional Secretariats are now connected to GovPay, the Southern Province marks a special milestone in our national journey towards a fully digitally empowered government service. By creating a transparent, easily accessible public service through digital technology, not only do we minimize inefficiencies, but we also enhance public trust in government services.”

He further said that the government has stated that its ultimate objective is to ensure that all Sri Lankans, regardless of where they live, can benefit from the convenience and security of digital services in order to foster a more inclusive society.

Akram Ismail, Member of Parliament stated:

“This is a great achievement for the Southern Province – to introduce digital payments across all government institutions including District Secretariats. For decades, Sri Lanka lagged behind in digitalization, but within just 8 months we have been able to achieve this transformation. Once Sri Lanka is fully digitalized, we will be able to eradicate fraud and corruption 100%.”

Harsha Purasinghe, Board Director of ICTA, remarked:

“The integration of 53 District and Divisional Secretariats in the Southern Province with GovPay at once is a powerful demonstration of how digital payments can transform daily life. From today onwards, people of the Southern Province can make payments online for government services with ease and transparency. This will also serve as a strong catalyst for rolling out GovPay across other provinces. Our mission is not merely to promote technology, but to deliver real convenience to citizens through it, thereby making the benefits of digital public services a reality for all.”

Further, Channa De Silva, Chief Executive Officer of LankaPay, congratulated the Southern Province on becoming the first province to have all its District and Divisional Secretariats connected to GovPay simultaneously. He noted that this achievement serves as a strong example of how cashless transactions can be introduced to the public. Emphasizing that everyone has a role to play in building a more efficient, transparent, secure, and inclusive digital economy, he highlighted that the Southern Province has taken on this responsibility admirably and established itself as a pioneer in Sri Lanka’s digital transformation.

Accordingly, with the rollout of GovPay across the Southern Province, citizens are now assured of modern, efficient, and reliable payment services.

This project will not only improve the quality of government service delivery but also foster a collaborative, customer-friendly environment for both citizens and state institutions. Also paves the way towards a future of seamless, transparent, and people-centered digital public services, the Ministry of Digital Economy added further.