Abstract :-

E-Government is defined as the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to deliver government services more effectively and efficiently to citizens. United Nations measures e government index (EGDI) once in two years based on three dimensions. Sri Lanka jumped forward its rank in 2014, but there was a drawback since then. It was not found much research on ICT applications in the public sector in Sri Lanka. Therefore, identifying current context of ICT is essential. Main objectives of this research are to identify use of ICT in public sector organizations and to identify the issues and Challenges. Data were collected through random sampling method using a structured questionnaire and interviews and analyzed using descriptive methods. Results revealed that government institutions use IT applications mainly for personal administration and accounting purposes. Most of administrative software are in house built while accounting software are outsourced. Transport, performance management, customer feedback, marketing are lack of ICT involvement. Emails and social media are the mostly used tools. Considering the investment, hardware cost accounts more than other costs software, maintenance and training. Lack of ICT training is the most common issue in public organizations. Issues related to software and hardware, internet problems, data protection are other key considerations. Lower number of IT literate employees, maintenance and financial constraints are the major challenges identified. Introducing a common software platform for all administrative work, proper procedure to enhance IT literacy of public employees and quality assurance for in-house built software are put forward as key recommendations.

Keywords: ICT usage, Public sector, Issues and challenges