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India to meet half the cost of Rs.20 Bn
Govt will retain exclusive access to all information
Digital Economy acting Minister Eranga Weeraratne announced that the issuance of digital national identity cards will begin shortly.
During a media briefing yesterday (14), he revealed that all new National Identity Cards (ENICs) will transition to a digital format.This initiative aims to tackle the significant delays currently experienced in obtaining identity cards.
Weeraratne said the estimated cost of implementing the digital identity card system is Rs.20 billion.To meet the financial burden, half of this cost will be covered through assistance from India. He also urged the public not to be misled by unfounded claims suggesting that bio-metric data for the digital national identity card has been handed over to an Indian company.
“The Indian firm is only assisting with the technical setup and will not have access to any personal data. The Government will retain exclusive access to this information,” the Minister added.
DENETH SANKALANA
