Cabinet backs Indian grant for new digital ID initiative

The Cabinet of Ministers approved a decision to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India to obtain a grant to implement the Unitary Digital Identity framework.

The Government has decided to prioritise the implementation of a Unitary Digital Identity Framework for Sri Lanka, as a national level program. 

Under the proposed Unitary Digital Identity Framework, it is expected to introduce a personal identity verification device based on biometric data – a digital tool that can represent the identities of individuals in cyberspace and the identification of individual identities that can be accurately verified in digital and physical environments by combining the two devices.

The proposal to this effect was tabled by the President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in his capacity as the Technology Minister.

During the bilateral talks between the President and the Indian Prime Minister in December 2019, the Government of India agreed to provide a grant to implement the Unitary Digital Identity framework.