• Cabinet approval sought for new mechanism 
• Move aimed at fast-tracking digitalisation, cashless economy

The Government is seeking Cabinet approval to establish special digital transformation units within Government entities as a mechanism to fast-track digitalisation.

Speaking to The Sunday Morning Business, Ministry of Digital Economy Secretary Waruna Sri Dhanapala said that a Cabinet paper would be submitted seeking approval to establish the units.

“There will be a Cabinet paper. We are going to get Cabinet approval to set up some specialised digital transformation units within Government entities. They will look into the business cases as well as the required solutions,” he stated.

He explained that the decision was being taken to fast-track the Government’s intervention in establishing a cashless economy, noting that traditional approaches had not proved effective owing to difficulties faced in attracting the necessary human resources as a result of existing salary scales in the public sector.

“However, GovTech, established under the chairmanship of Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, is in a position where it can deploy high-calibre resources to Government entities,” Dhanapala said.

He added that under this proposed mechanism, GovTech, the successor to the Information Communication Technology Agency (ICTA), would be deployed in critical public service centres to upgrade their systems, introduce new systems, and troubleshoot.

The Secretary pointed out that this mechanism would prove beneficial in preventing over-reliance on certain private parties, thereby avoiding vendor lock-in scenarios.

Dhanapala further stated that each unit would come under the full leadership of the head of the relevant Government department and would function as a special help desk or transformation unit tasked with aligning its interventions, digital engagements with citizens, and other services with the Government’s overall digital economic blueprint.