One more step in e-governance:

ICT aid for complaints

An ICT-enabled Government institution that can provide solutions to people’s complaints will be set up soon.

Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga says that an extensive study has been done in this regard.

This people’s complaint management program will be implemented parallel to 1919 or Government Information Centre (GIC). Lalith Weeratunga emphasised that while this complaint management program would be run directly under the supervision of the President all its activities would be ICT enabled. The Secretary to the President said so while participating at the inauguration of the ‘e-Divisional Secretariat’ project at the Colombo Divisional Secretariat recently.

Delivering his address on the occasion Weeratunga said that it was the duty of every Government official to provide a good service to the people.

“The computer can do many things. But it cannot win the hearts of the people.

Only the Government official can do this,” Weeratunga said.

He said that the wish of President Mahinda Rajapaksa who understood the pulse of the people was to bring a smile on the face of the people who come to Government institutions with tears on their eyes.

The Secretary said that this could be done by the Government official and that necessary environment was also now being created toward this.

He said that the people were inclined to lay their problems directly before the President because they looked upon him as the person they elected and that he believed that this was a positive value of the executive presidency.

Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister W D J Seneviratne said that projects like this were helpful for creating pleasant attitudes about Government institutions in the minds of the people and that steps would be taken to implement the ‘e-Divisional Secretariat Project’ islandwide in the future.

Colombo District MP Tilanga Sumatipala said that this project would contribute to making public service more efficient and that there should be no baseless fear about information and communication technology which was a new experience to public service.

Sumatipala said further that after the end of the war people were keenly looking forward to the benefits of development and that Government officials had the responsibility to ensure that the people’s expectations were fulfilled.

ICTA COO Reshan Dewapura said that the ‘e-Sri Lanka’ initiative which was a concept of President Rajapaksa was rendered more meaningful by projects like this and that this could be considered an important milestone in public service.