Sri Lanka launches PIC-NET for public sector digitalisation
The Government has launched a new initiative aimed at accelerating the digital transformation of public institutions, with plans to improve public services and expand Sri Lanka’s digital economy over the coming years.
An awareness programme for coordinating executive officers of public institutions was held on Wednesday (May 27) at the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) as the first step towards establishing the Public Impact Champions Network (PIC-NET).
The programme was organised as part of the Government’s Digital Economy Plan, which seeks to improve the quality and efficiency of public sector services through digitalisation.
Officials were informed that applications should be submitted from officers currently serving in public institutions who have the ability and capacity to represent the proposed “Champions Corps” and lead digital transformation efforts, in line with Circular PS/ADA/Circular/3/2026.
Speaking at the event, ICTA Chairman and Senior Adviser to the President on the Digital Economy, Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, said the Government aims to increase the contribution of Sri Lanka’s digitally empowered economy from the current 3% to 12% by 2030.
He said the development of the digital economy is intended to improve efficiency, service quality and revenue generation through the use of communication technology in economic activities.
Dr. Wijayasuriya noted that while developed countries have significantly expanded their digital economies, many developing nations continue to face challenges in this area. He said India has made notable progress in digital economic development and that Sri Lanka aims to advance its own digital economy alongside such developments.
He further stated that digital transformation must take place across nearly all public institutions and that, within the next three years, transactions and coordination among government institutions are expected to operate through a fully networked system similar to modern banking services.
Dr. Wijayasuriya also stressed that the support of both public institutions and citizens would be essential for the successful implementation of the programme.
During the programme, Ranil Peiris of the Department of Information Technology at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura outlined the foundation of the PIC-NET initiative and its future plans.
He said that under the proposed system, citizens would eventually be able to access services such as passport applications and licence renewals entirely online from their homes. He added that the system would reduce the need for people to repeatedly submit the same information to different government institutions.
Representatives of KPMG presented the future action plan for selecting and training officers, while Sameera Wickremasinghe of the Presidential Secretariat briefed participants on the application process.
The public sector digitalisation programme is being implemented with guidance and coordination support from the Presidential Secretariat, the Ministry of Digital Economy, GovTech Sri Lanka and the Asian Development Bank.
