All Divisional Secretariats in the Colombo District commence bank card payments.

In line with the national program to digitize public services and make them more efficient, transparent, and accessible to the public, a new POS machine facility for bank card payments has been officially launched for all Divisional Secretariats in the Colombo District. This modern technological service, introduced to overcome practical difficulties faced by the public when obtaining public services, is being implemented to cover 13 Divisional Secretariats located within the Colombo District.

The inaugural ceremony to make this service available to the public was held at the Thimbirigasyaya Divisional Secretariat premises under the patronage of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya. During the event, POS machines were opened in the Registrar's Division on the ground floor and the Vehicle Revenue License Division on the fourth floor with the participation of the Prime Minister. To mark this occasion, birth certificates and vehicle revenue licenses were symbolically issued to clients who made payments using bank cards.

This special project, implemented under the direct guidance of the Colombo District Secretariat, has received financial and technical contributions from the Bank of Ceylon (BOC). This initiative provides an opportunity for the public visiting Divisional Secretariats to obtain various services to pay government fees very securely and quickly using their Credit or Debit cards.

Joining this inaugural event, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that modernizing the public sector in Sri Lanka, adapting to the rapidly accelerating global digitalization process, is a primary objective of the current government. She further pointed out that this new payment method eliminates the risk of clients having to carry large amounts of cash and enables the public to obtain their required services more efficiently within a very short period.

With the implementation of this new POS payment system, people can conduct transactions directly without the need to carry cash, thereby minimizing the time taken to obtain services. Furthermore, as there is no need to keep large sums of money, the risk of money loss or financial fraud is reduced, and these transactions, carried out using modern technology, directly contribute to the overall digital economic development of the country. This program, which facilitates easy auditing of all transactions and accurate recording of government revenue, will help transform financial control within Sri Lanka's public service into a more transparent and people-friendly environment.