An agreement to this effect between the ministry and Affno was signed last week.

The solution will be used to speed up and simplify the day-to-day work of the ministry, managing internal and external communications, processing documents, expediting operational tasks and automating the flow of work through the ministry. It will also provide a human resources database for the nation’s sprawling civil service. Once operative, the database will expedite personnel management and simplify procedures relating to recruitment, assignment, remuneration, transfers, leave and so on.

The Ministry of Public Administration & Home Affairs will soon become the first government ministry to computerize its operations and procedures. This is being done, a spokesman said, in order to ‘better ensure an efficient and effective public service and a sound regional administrative system’ in keeping with the mission of the Ministry.

The initiative for this project comes from the government’s Information & Communications Technology Agency (ICTA), which managed a keenly contested tender before awarding the contract to Affno and its partners.

According to ICTA officials, the Ministry of Public Administration & Home Affairs project is viewed as being especially important since, if successful, it will provide a blueprint for the computerization and automation of other government ministries. “We are setting the standard for everything that will come after us,” noted Ravi Kannangara, Affno’s Vice President. ‘But of course, it also puts us on the inside track when it comes to future e-government initiatives in Sri Lanka.’