Sri Lanka expands remote work for public sector

The Sri Lankan government has issued new interim guidelines to expand remote work in the public sector amid unrest in the Middle East and fuel supply concerns.

The move follows efforts to reduce pressure on national fuel stocks and manage energy use by limiting office operations.

The Cabinet Committee on the Systematic Maintenance of Public Services, chaired by Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, has directed the Ministry of Digital Economy to study wider remote working arrangements.

This is being done in consultation with the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Digital Economy has issued interim guidelines to heads of government institutions on using digital technology for remote service delivery and routine office work.

The guidelines are available in Sinhala, Tamil and English on the Ministry’s official website and can be accessed at https://mode.gov.lk/docs/guidelines.

The Ministry said official documents created, approved and circulated electronically are legally valid under the Electronic Transactions Act No. 19 of 2006. This includes scanned signatures, digital signatures and communications sent through official government email accounts.

The government has recommended the official video conferencing platform “meet.gov.lk” as the main platform for virtual official communication.

However, other commercial platforms may be used temporarily when needed.

Heads of departments have also been asked to improve the digital skills of public sector employees and follow strict data protection measures.

The Ministry said these steps are part of efforts to strengthen public service delivery under the Digital Economy Blueprint, which is a key government priority.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government has issued Circular No. 02/2026, dated April 23, 2026.

The circular instructs all ministry secretaries, provincial chief secretaries and heads of departments to inform public officials and implement the new guidelines.

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