News
Govt. accused of giving Indian companies access to Lankans’ biometrics
By Rathindra Kuruwita
The Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) on Sunday (11) flayed the government for having agreed to grant some Indian companies access to the biometrics of Sri Lankans under the proposed Unitary Digital Identity Framework project.
FSP Education Secretary Pubudu Jayagoda said the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha had, on 01 February, told the media that an Indian company would print national identity cards with biometric features soon. Jayagoda said there were some issues in the bids made by Indian companies in 2023, but they would be sorted out by mid-2024.
In 2023, the Indian government provided 450 million Indian rupees for the implementation of the Unitary Digital Identity Framework project in Sri Lanka. According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) the vendor should be an Indian company.
The Sri Lankan government called for tenders to select a service provider, but the two Indian companies were disqualified because they were not able to comply with basic criteria.
Jayagoda said: “The ID cards we use now have bio-data like name, date of birth, etc. In 2015, the Registration of Persons Act was changed to allow the issuance of an ID with biometrics.
When this act was amended, only one MP opposed it. We don’t think that the state has the right to access biometrics without a court order. This harks back to the time of kings, when rulers owned the physical bodies of their subjects,” he said.
Jayagoda said that the issue of collecting biometrics had national security implications.
“This started during the Gotabaya Rajapaksa administration. In July 2021, criteria were prepared for a new electronic national identity card. On 28 January 2022, the Cabinet approved Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s Cabinet paper seeking approval to award the digital identification card project to an Indian company. This opened doors for India to step in. On 08 May 2023, the Ranil-Rajapaksa government called for tenders for the project that was only open for Indian companies. The entire project costs 41.09 billion rupees. India will only give about 22 billion rupees and will get access to the biometrics of 22 million Sri Lankans. What an amazing deal for India,” Jayagoda said.
Madras Security Printers (MSP) and Protean Technologies were the Indian companies that offered bids. MSP, who has been blacklisted in India as well as in several other countries, nearly got the tender.
“The project did not get off the ground due to public outrage. Now tenders will be called again. No matter what Indian company wins, this will give access to invaluable data to a foreign state. This is a great threat to national security. No other country has given access to the biometrics of its people to a foreign country.”
Jayagoda said a country like Singapore, which collects biometrics, has gone to great lengths to prevent access to data for private or foreign companies. In the 21st century, data and information are tools that can be used to dominate other states.
“We urge people to not give their biometrics to any foreign company,” he said.
The Sri Lanka Navy rescued a fisherman from a local fishing trawler that encountered distress due to adverse weather conditions off the eastern coast of Sri Lanka.
The rescue operation took place on 17 July 2026, approximately 15 nautical miles off Pothuvil. The operation was launched following information received by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Colombo.
In response, the Sri Lanka Navy deployed the Offshore Patrol Vessel SLNS Vijayabahu along with additional craft to conduct a search operation in the designated sea area, where they successfully located the distressed fisherman.
Following the rescue, the individual was brought aboard SLNS Vijayabahu, where naval personnel administered preliminary first aid. He was subsequently brought to the mainland and rushed for further medical attention.
Meanwhile, the Navy, along with the coordination of MRCC Colombo, remains constantly prepared to swiftly respond to the eventualities faced by maritime and fishing communities operating within the island’s Search and Rescue Region (SRR).
The countrywide dengue outbreak has intensified, with the death toll rising to 50, by July 16, as the number of reported infections surpassed 73,000, according to the National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU).
The country has recorded 73,455 dengue cases so far this year, with the case fatality rate standing at 0.07 percent, highlighting the severity of the ongoing outbreak.
The Western Province continues to remain the worst affected region, accounting for more than half of the total cases, with 38,700 infections. The Gampaha District has recorded the highest number of cases in the province with 15,341, followed closely by Colombo with 14,625.
The Southern Province has reported 11,382 cases, while the Sabaragamuwa and Central provinces have each recorded more than 6,000 infections.
Dengue cases have shown a sharp increase in recent months, with June recording the highest monthly total of 21,538 cases, while July has already reported 18,076 infections. In comparison, 8,590 cases were reported in May, and 5,651 in April.
Health authorities have identified 175 Medical Officer of Health (MOH) areas as high-risk locations during the 27th epidemiological week. An average of 2,677 new dengue cases are being reported daily, prompting authorities to intensify prevention and mosquito control measures.
The Colombo High Court yesterday (17) resumed hearing the money laundering case filed against Yoshitha Rajapaksa, son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The proceedings were held before High Court Judge Udesh Ranatunga, where evidence was recorded from prosecution witnesses, under the direction of Deputy Solicitor General Janaka Bandara.
President’s Counsel Sampath Mendis, appearing for Yoshitha Rajapaksa, cross-examined the witnesses during the hearing.
After recording evidence, the court ordered that further examination of evidence be postponed until July 24.
The Attorney General has filed indictments, alleging that Yoshitha Rajapaksa committed an offence, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, by purchasing five plots of land in Dehiwala and Ratmalana, valued at more than Rs. 73 million.
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