Sri Lanka’s cabinet has approved a project to digitalize the Right to Information (RTI) Commission, supported by a $200,000 grant from the Open Society Foundations, following recommendations from the World Bank, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa announced.
The RTI Commission, established under the Right to Information Act No. 12 of 2016, currently processes all appeals and hearings manually due to a lack of technical resources. “Because the commission has limited technical equipment, the entire process, including the hearing of appeals, is done on paper,” Minister Jayatissa explained.
The proposed digitalization project aims to enhance the efficiency of the Commission’s operations. The $200,000 grant will be allocated for purchasing necessary machinery and hardware, developing specialized software, recruiting human resource experts and technical consultants, and enhancing the capacity and skills of the current staff.
The RTI Act was introduced to foster transparency and accountability by granting citizens the right to access information held by public authorities. However, the commission has faced backlogs in recent years due to challenges with manual record-keeping and case management.
The Open Society Foundations, a global philanthropic network founded by George Soros, funds initiatives related to governance reforms, access to information, education, public health, and justice.
(Colombo/Mar11/2026)
