• Digital Econ. Ministry Act. Secy. notes that State/Govt. institutions can’t compete with pvt. sector at present 

While the Government is set to reschedule the full implementation of the Personal Data Protection Act, No. 9 of 2022, the Ministry of Digital Economy stated that it is working to address certain legal and procedural barriers as the implementation of the legislation as it is would lead to unequal treatment for institutions in certain sectors.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, the Acting Secretary to the Ministry, Waruna Sri Dhanapala also stated that the Ministry of Finance has permitted them to make new recruitments to the Government authorities needed for the Act's implementation. He added however that certain systematic and legal barriers must be addressed before the Act can be implemented.  "This Act can sometimes lead to unequal treatment for institutions in certain sectors. Our institutions are not ready to compete with private institutions. Therefore, we are doing our best to address these gaps and to resolve these barriers," he said.

He also said that the proposed amendment to extend the implementation timeframe by six months will be submitted to the Parliament after the Budget 2025 and that the six months will be counted from the day that the new amendment is passed. "The Act was passed in 2022 and was supposed to be fully functional from 18 March. When the Act was passed, no one anticipated the events that we would have to face. These circumstances delayed the implementation," he said.

The ‘Data Protection Authority Act’ in Sri Lanka is officially known as the Personal Data Protection Act, No. 9 of 2022, which was enacted on 19 March 2022, by the Parliament, establishing a Data Protection Authority to oversee the protection of personal data within the country.