COLOMBO, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's progress toward a digital economy and plans for 2026 were reviewed at a high-level discussion held on Monday at the Presidential Secretariat, chaired by Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in his capacity as minister of digital economy.
The meeting focused on assessing the progress of projects implemented under the Ministry of Digital Economy in 2025 and examining new initiatives proposed under the 2026 budget allocations.
Special attention was given to programs aimed at promoting a cashless economy. Officials reviewed the status of key government-led digitization initiatives, including the digitization of government institutions, expansion of QR code-based payment transactions, establishment of a national cloud infrastructure center, rollout of a high-speed broadband program, introduction of single-window service facilities, the digital national identity card project, and the digitization of traffic spot fine payments.
During the discussion, the president noted that a significant share of economic activity in rural areas remains within the informal sector. He stressed the importance of formally documenting such activities, noting that this is essential for effective economic planning and future development policy formulation.
Officials also discussed the current operational status and recruitment plans of GovTech, the institution established to implement the government's digitization agenda. ■
