ICTA's Digital Forms Solution (forms.gov.lk) Redefines Sri Lanka's Public Service Delivery

The Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka is pleased to announce a pivotal advancement in public service delivery with the launch of the Digital Forms Solution (DFS). This groundbreaking initiative promises to revolutionize the way government services are accessed and delivered throughout Sri Lanka.

The DFS project, funded under the World Bank's Contingent Emergency Response Components (CERC) Initiative and successfully piloted in December 2022, marks a significant milestone in modernizing government service interactions. Nine government organizations, recognizing the potential for transformative change, embraced this digital platform during the pilot phase, thereby digitizing their manual forms and paving the way for a more efficient, citizen-centric service landscape.

Traditionally, government services have often involved citizens visiting government offices, filling out paper request forms, and submitting them in person. While this method has been in place for some time, it has presented challenges in terms of efficiency, paperwork management, and convenience.

The Digital Forms Solution (DFS) represents a pioneering digital platform that empowers government organizations to seamlessly design, deploy, and distribute service forms online. This system, accessible via various digital devices, including PCs, mobile phones, and tablets, is agile and adaptable to meet evolving needs. Crucially, DFS eliminates paper usage, elevates data security, and ensures traceability.

DFS offers a range of key features designed to enhance the experience for both government organizations and citizens alike. It enables access to Government forms through forms.gov.lk, while providing real-time tracking of requests’ status with notifications at every processing stage.

For government organizations, the benefits of DFS are substantial. It promises heightened operational efficiency, substantial savings in paper, time, and storage space, and liberation from the cumbersome task of managing and safeguarding paper documents. The platform streamlines processes, enabling the swift identification and resolution of bottlenecks, while facilitating efficient data collection directly from citizens. It simplifies data archiving and retrieval while enhancing resilience to external threats.

By the end of 2025, ICTA envisions a nationwide DFS presence, with a minimum of 25% of citizens opting for online service applications and an impressive 75% expressing satisfaction with their digital service experiences.

Citizens, too, reap numerous benefits from DFS, including reduced need for in-person visits to government offices, substantial cost and time savings, and the convenience of accessing services from the comfort of their homes. DFS enhances efficiency in public service delivery, reduces paper usage across the public sector, and fortifies the security and reliability of personal data.

The introduction of the Digital Forms Solution (forms.gov.lk) marks a significant leap forward, promising a future defined by convenience, efficiency, and transparency in Sri Lanka's public service delivery landscape. ICTA remains unwavering in its commitment to advancing Sri Lanka's government sector through sustainable growth and innovation, with DFS standing as a monumental step towards realizing this vision.

For further information regarding the Digital Forms Solution, please visit forms.gov.lk