Despite their trailblazing efforts to transform the payment mode in Sri Lanka from cash to digital, around 90 percent of the public departments do not have any system for payments which promotes cash-based payments according to a senior official of LankaPay, the national payment network of Sri Lanka.
“The vacuum in the public sector with regard to transitioning to digital payments has to be bridged. Payments of many government institutions starting with the Customs, Inland Revenue Department and the Excise Department are made through GovPay and we hope to drive the government payment system to cover around 50 departments in the next one and half months,” said LankaPay CEO Channa De Silva at the launch of online payments to the Supreme Court via GovPay on Thursday.
Today payments of around 35 public departments are done via GovPay, the online payment platform to facilitate digital transactions for government services. Government transactions to the value of Rs. 2 trillion were facilitated through GovPay in 2024.The latest introduction of GovPay is the collection of traffic fines on the Kurunegala-Dambulla road collecting over 100 fines.
The Postal Department unions took umbrage at the move to collect traffic fines through the national payment network as it deprived of a revenue source to the Department.
“Those who oppose digital payment modes indirectly support cutting shady deals enabling state officials to line their pockets,” De Silva said, adding that LankaPay has done a significant amount of work in the digital landscape including in the legal sector with the Electronic Transactions Act and Payment and Settlement Systems Act which puts Sri Lanka ahead of many countries in the region.
Acting under the Central Bank, LankaPay enables payment and settlements through electronic means which is recognised as an effective payment mechanism to facilitate convenient transactions and eliminate corruption which is a primary aim of promoting digital payment in the country.
“The Supreme Court taking to the digital payment mode is a milestone in the digital payment transformation in the country.
Despite all valiant efforts to expand the digital payment across all sectors of the country still according to statistics around Rs. 1.3 trillion is in circulation as cash,” De Silva said, adding that electronic modes of payments will help eliminate fraudulent transactions to a great extent.
Chief Justice, Murdu Fernando said the launch of digital payment platform to the Supreme Court not only supports convenient and efficient payment but also enhances public trust in financial transactions in the courts. The introduction of the payment platform will help do away with archaic and redundant payment modes used for over 200 years.
“The launch of the digital payment platform marks a milestone in the journey of the Supreme Court which turns 225 next year,” the Chief Justice said.
