India congratulates SL on launch of ‘GovPay’ digital payment platform

India has extended its congratulations to the Government of Sri Lanka for the launch of the ‘GovPay’ platform, designed to digitize all government payments.  

“These initiatives form part of the special emphasis laid on digital transformation by the Sri Lankan Government led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka. This emphasis, together with Sri Lanka being the BIMSTEC sectoral lead for Science, Technology and Innovation, make Colombo the obvious choice for hosting this Digital Conclave,” Indian High Commissioner of Santosh Jha said at the BIMSTEC Digital Conclave 2025 in Colombo.  

He also emphasized its pivotal role at the crossroads of India’s ‘Neighborhood First’ policy, the ‘Act East’ initiative, and the ‘SAGAR’ vision. “The Bay of Bengal, once a thriving conduit of commerce and culture, had in modern times fallen short of its true potential. The conclave, he asserted, was a step towards rekindling this legacy, harnessing shared history, and leveraging digital innovations for collective progress.”   Digitization, he explained, was the linchpin of this transformation. India’s own digital revolution, powered by Aadhaar, mobile connectivity, and a robust digital payments ecosystem, had fundamentally reshaped governance and financial inclusion. He painted a vivid picture: 1.3 billion digital identities, 1.2 billion mobile users, 950 million internet subscribers, and 40% of the world’s real-time digital transactions occurring in India. The Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Direct Benefits Transfer, and the CoWIN vaccination platform were just a few testaments to India’s digital prowess.