Government Action Plan Tracker

Demand transparency, promote accountability, and help shape the system change.

Welcome to the GAP Tracker, your window into the government’s progress toward stronger governance and accountability. This platform is designed to monitor the Sri Lankan Government’s Action plan of critical reforms called Priority Recommendations outlined in the 2023 IMF-led Governance Diagnostic Report. The tracker will enable and empower citizens and other stakeholders to oversee the government’s implementation of the action plan.

The Government Action Plan, published in February 2024, was developed as a Structural Benchmark (SB) under the second review agreement of Sri Lanka’s Extended Fund Facility (EFF) with the IMF. It aims to address systemic corruption vulnerabilities in areas of public financial management, tax policies, public procurement, and financial oversight. While implementation of the action plan is the responsibility of the government, this tracker seeks to fill a critical gap by providing an oversight mechanism for its effective implementation. Following the change in administration in 2024, the new government has published an updated version of the Action Plan, which is now the version being tracked through this platform. This plan has several new commitments as well as new timelines for completion.

Through this tracker, created by Transparency International Sri Lanka, you can follow recent updates, explore detailed progress on priority reforms, and see how effectively and meaningfully the government is closing governance gaps and corruption vulnerabilities that impact economic stability and social equity.

We go beyond box ticking —this platform flags delays, identifies policy concerns, assess public access to information regarding commitments, and whether participatory and open governance standards were met, to ensure reforms are effectively implemented and deliver meaningful and sustainable change.

Civil Society Governance Diagnostic Report

IMF - Sri Lanka: Technical Assistance Report -
Governance Diagnostic Assessment

1. Enact Asset Recovery Law in Line with the UNCAC

Reform Commitment 01

Enact a Comprehensive Asset Recovery Law to harmonize it with the United May, 2025 Nations Convention Against Corruption.

Progress

Key Milestones

1. Submission for Cabinet approval and gazetting by Feb, 2025

Implemented : [Link]

Comment: The legal framework and the Bill were drafted without public and adequate civil society consultation, reflecting the absence and lack of will to engage the public and civil society organizations in the policy making and legislative processes. Note: TISL provided feedback on the Report of the Committee, following persistent advocacy and attempts to engage with the Ministry of Justice which materialised due to the assistance received from the UNDP.

2. Enact the Law by May, 2025

Comment: Parliament passed the Proceeds of Crime Act on 08 April 2025. The Act is expected to be amended to correct clerical and translation errors before the Speaker’s endorsement.

Responsible Institution

Ministry of Justice

Target date

May, 2025

Process

2. Amend Companies Act to Introduce Beneficial Ownership Registry

Reform Commitment 02

Finalize and implement regulations to support the provision of beneficial ownership information as required by the Companies Act and establish a public beneficial ownership registry.

Progress

Key Milestones

1. Cabinet Approval for the amendment to the Company Act by March, 2025

Implemented [Link]

Comments:
1. The previous administration Gazetted a Bill on August 6, 2024, to introduce the registry and law by way of an amendment to the Companies Act No. 07 of 2007.
2. TISL challenged the Bill on key issues that included exemptions for offshore companies, limited public access, and weakened oversight. The Attorney General agreed to fix several concerns, including ending offshore exemptions. However, elections halted the process, and a new Bill must be re-gazetted by the incoming government.
3. The amendment and provisions for the Beneficial Ownership register were drafted by the previous administration behind closed doors without public or civil society consultation and with no transparency regarding its progress or content, despite TISL’s active efforts to obtain a draft of the law. This process is yet to change.

2. Submit the amendment to the Company Act to the Parliament by May, 2025

3. Issue necessary Regulations by June, 2025

4. Conducting awareness programs for the stakeholders, company secretaries, directors, and shareholders.

5. Maintenance of beneficial ownership information and registry.

Responsible Institution

Ministry of Industries Department of Registrar of Companies

Target date

Dec, 2025

Process

3. Enact Public Procurement Law in Line with International Best Practices

Reform Commitment 03

Enact a Public Procurement Law that reflects international best practices.

Progress

Key Milestones

1. Draft the Public Procurement Bill and obtain necessary legal clearances by April, 2025

Not Implemented

Comments:
1. The drafting of the new procurement law and guidelines has taken place behind closed doors, with no public and civil society consultation or transparency regarding its progress or content. Despite active efforts by civil society organizations, including TISL, to engage, provide feedback, or even ascertain the status of the law, meaningful access and participation have been denied.
2. TISL was invited to a meeting that the NPC held with civil society to present the Procurement Law, at which it was clear that the law was drafted in a manner that it acted as a housekeeping Act for the NPC, rather than a public procurement law that reflects best practices.
3. The NPC have published new procurement guidelines, that TISL has challenged in court for allowing loopholes related to unsolicited proposals.

2. Submit the Public Procurement Bill to the Cabinet for gazetting by May, 2025

3. Enact the Law by June, 2025

Responsible Institution

National Procurement Commission

Target date

June, 2025

Process

4. Publish Report on Competitive Tendered Procurement in Low-Competition Agencies

Reform Commitment 04

Publish a report on a designated website on the progress in increasing the proportion of competitive tendered procurement contracts of the 10 agencies determined to have the lowest level of competitive tenders in 2022.

Progress

Key Milestones

1. Gather baseline data on procurement where competition is relatively less, number of failed procurements are high and also there are instances of negotiated award of contracts in place of re- tendering by June, 2025.

2. Gather above data for the 2nd half of year 2025 and review data gathered during first 05 months of the 2025 against second 5 months of 2025 to identify, i. Improvement in procurement competition. ii. Reduction in failed procurements. iii. Reduction in negotiated award contracts without re-tendering.

Responsible Institution

Department of Public Finance

Target date

Dec, 2025

Process

5. Semi-Annual Publication of Key Public Procurement and Tax Exemption Data

Reform Commitment 05

Publish on a semi annual basis on a designated website (i) all public procurement contracts above Rs. 1 billion, along with comprehensive information in a searchable format on contract award winners; (ii) a list of all firms receiving tax exemptions through the Board of Investment, the SDP and the Port City Act, and an estimation of the value of these tax exemptions; and (iii) a list of firms receiving tax exemptions on luxury vehicle import.

Progress

Key Milestones

i) Published. [Link]

ii) Published. [Link]

iii) Published. [Link]

Update periodically.

Partially implemented

Comment: TISL observed that the Promise.lk website does not contain details of all public procurement contracts above LKR 1 billion, for example during the previous administration, the procurement details of awarding the 484 MW wind power plant in Mannar and Pooneryn to Adani Green Energy Ltd, and details of the procurement process and the contract awarded to VFS Global for handling the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system for the issuance of visas for tourists visiting Sri Lanka, are examples for which procurement details were are not published. There may be many other contracts that are within the threshold that are going unreported. These issues must be addressed for full implementation of this commitment.

Responsible Institution

Department of Public Finance, Department of Fiscal Policy

Target date

Jun, 2025

Process

6. Review SOE Reform Policy for Improved Transparency & Accountability

Reform Commitment 06

Review SOE Reform Policy with a view to enhance transparency and accountability of SOE management and strategic principles to meet its key objectives.

Progress

Key Milestones

1. Appoint a Committee to develop a criteria to list the SOEs under a Holding Company and to review the existing SOE Policy and provide recommendations by end March, 2025.

Partially implemented. A Committee to oversee SOE reform was appointed. [Link]

Comment: No recommendations as outlined in this step of this commitment has been made public.

2. Submit the review report and the criteria to the Cabinet by May, 2025.

3. Draft SOE bill by July, 2025.

4. Enact SOE Act by September, 2025.

5. Form a Holding Company by October, 2025.

6. Identify the entities to be absorbed under the Holding Company by November, 2025.

Responsible Institution

Presidential Secretariat, Department of Public Enterprises, Department of Legal Affairs

Target date

Dec, 2025

Process

7. Suspend Strategic Development Projects Act until Transparent Tax Expenditure Criteria Established

Reform Commitment 07

Suspend application of the Strategy Development Projects Act until promulgation of a transparent, rules-based eligibility criteria to increase the accountability and effectiveness of granted tax expenditures and to limit duration for which incentives are granted.

Progress

Key Milestones

1. Finalize the proposals for a comprehensive qualitative and quantitative eligibility criteria for SDP projects by March 2025.

Not implemented.

Comment: No public reporting on implemenation to assess this.

2. Amend SDP Act and obtain necessary clearances by end May, 2025.

Responsible Institution

Department of
Fiscal Policy

Target date

Aug, 2025

Process

8. Cabinet Approval for New National Tariff Policy to Ensure Revenue & Transparency

Reform Commitment 08

Obtain cabinet approval for new National Tariff Policy to ensure revenue optimization, transparency, and accountability including clear rules on eliminating or restricting ministerial authority to introduce tax changes without Parliamentary approval.

Progress

Key Milestones

1. Finalize TOR for the Committee on the National Tariff Policy by March, 2025.

Implemented. [Link]

2. Appoint the Committee by March, 2025.

Implemented. [Link]

3. Draft New Tariff Policy in line to the Government Policy by August, 2025.

4. Obtain Cabinet approval by September, 2025.

Responsible Institution

Department of
Fiscal Policy

Target date

Sep, 2025

Process

9. Establish Digital Land Information Registry with Public Access

Reform Commitment 09

Establish an online digital land information system and publish on a designated
website.

Progress

Key Milestones

1. Establish an online digital land information for 2.4 Mn land parcels system by May, 2025

2. Publish on a designated website May 2025.

3. Rolling-out Plan to include all lands information in the system through integration, digitization and pilots, by Dec, 2025.

Responsible Institution

Ministry of Lands, Surveyor’s General Department

Target date

Dec, 2025

Process

10. Implement Governance Reforms in the Justice Sector for Enhanced Oversight

Reform Commitment 10

Establish and implement a plan to modify governance arrangements in the Justice sector to strengthen oversight, monitoring, and proper sector development.

Progress

Key Milestones

Develop an implementation plan with interim milestones for the following JSC’s five institutional objectives
i) Increase the number of courts
ii) Introduce case management across all courts
iii) Advance digitalization in the justice sector
iv) Restructure the JSC Secretariat
v) Establish a mechanism to regularize the Quazi courts.

Responsible Institution

Judicial Service
Commission

Target date

Dec, 2025

Process

11. Adjust National Audit Act Regulations to Enforce Surcharges on Non-Compliant Officials

Reform Commitment 11

Make adjustments to regulations implementing the National Audit Act to facilitate the effective levying of fines on officials, including Chief Accounting officers, who fail to fulfill their responsibilities on overseeing and managing the public assets by June 2025.

Progress

Key Milestones

1. Draft an amendment by the Legal Draftsman’s Department by March, 2025.

Not implemented.

2. Obtain necessary legal clearances by March, 2025.

Not implemented.

3. Obtain Cabinet approval for Gazetting the amendment by April 2025.

Not implemented.

4. Bill passed by June, 2025

Responsible Institution

Ministry of Justice, National Audit Office

Target date

June, 2025

Process

12. Submit Policy Paper on New Management for Employee Provident Fund

Reform Commitment 12

Following a broad consultative process, submit a Cabinet policy paper on options for establishing new management arrangements for the Employee Provident Fund that terminates direct CBSL management.

Progress

Key Milestones

1. Appoint a Committee to review the existing nature and management of EPF and to provide recommendations on way-forward mechanism to efficiently manage EPF by April, 2025.

Not implemented

2. Comprehensive review by July, 2025.

3. Submit the Comprehensive study with policy recommendations to the Cabinet by August, 2025.

Responsible Institution

Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Labour

Target date

Dec, 2025

Process

13. Cabinet Approval for Digital Framework for Public Procurement via e-GP System

Reform Commitment 13

Obtain Cabinet approval to enable digital framework for public procurement of
goods and works through e-GP system.

Progress

Key Milestones

1. Establishment of digital platform to carryout Government Procurement of Goods by March, 2025.

Comment: There already exists a digital platform to carryout Government procurement of goods and works – Promise.lk. There is confusion as to the new administration’s intent with this commitment. However, concerns on the existing platform outlined above (commitment 05) remain.

2. Establishment of Digital platform to carryout Government Procurement of works by June, 2025.

3. Pilot running of e-GP system for the procurement of Goods and Works by Sep, 2025.

4. Establishment of Digital platform to carryout Government Procurement other than Goods and Works by December, 2025.

5. Rollout of e-GP system for Procurement of Goods and works for 10% of Government Entities by December, 2025.

Responsible Institution

Department of
Public Finance.

Target date

Dec, 2025

Process

14. Cabinet Approval & Enact Public Asset Management Law for Digital Framework

Reform Commitment 14

Obtain Cabinet Approval and enact Public Asset Management Law enabling to create digital framework for maintaining of non-financial assets of public sector institutions to promote transparency and accountability.

Progress

Key Milestones

1. Cabinet Approval for Public Asset Management Bill by March, 2025.

Not implemented.

2. Enact the Public Asset Management Law by July, 2025.

Responsible Institution

Comptroller General’s
Department, Department of Legal Affairs

Target date

July, 2025

Process

15. Assess Politician Entitlements & Adopt Annual Disclosure Regulations

Reform Commitment 15

Conduct a comprehensive assessment of entitlements provided to current and former politicians, including the legal framework governing them, and to adopt regulations requiring annual disclose of those benefits to the public which should be subject to regular oversight by Parliament.

Progress

Key Milestones

1. Ensure implementing existing legal provisions of President’s Entitlement Act No 04 of 1986 by Jan, 2025.

2. Issue circular/guidelines to limit staff recruitment and vehicle facilities, fuel allowances, telephone allowances granted to private staff of Ministers and Deputy Ministers by January, 2025.

Implemented. [Link]

3. Restrict / Cut-down the unnecessary expenditures of the Presidential Secretariat by March, 2025.

Implementing: [Link]

4. Mobilize the existing state-owned bungalows previously allocated for politicians, for better public purposes.

Implementing. [Link]

Responsible Institution

Presidential Secretariat

Target date

May, 2025

Process

16. Update and publish the Action Plan on annual basis

Reform Commitment 16

Update and publish the Action Plan on annual basis.

Progress

Key Milestones

Update annually.

Implemented. [Link]

Responsible Institution

Presidential Secretariat

Target date

Feb, 2025

Process

Last update: 21st May 2025, Next update: June 2025

Despite the fact that the IMF sets out 16 Priority Recommendations in its Governance Diagnostic Report, the GAP only reflects 14 recommendations.

The 2 recommendations which are not included in the GAP are;

Ministry of Finance to institute a short-term anti-corruption measure within each revenue department to strengthen internal oversight and sanctioning processes and linkages with CIABOC and related criminal investigation and enforcement processes by Dec 2023 and issue a public report on steps taken and results obtained by Dec 2024.
Following a broad consultative process, the Ministry of Finance to produce a Cabinet policy paper by June 2024 on options for establishing new management arrangements for the Employee Provident Fund that terminates direct CBSL management.