Minister Herath denies allegation

By Saman Indrajith

Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and national security are in jeopardy as an Indian company will gain access to citizens’ personal data through a project to print digital national identity cards, JVP-led NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake says.

Making a special statement in Parliament, Dissanayake said on Friday (11) that the tender for the printing of digital NICs had not yet been given but the arrangements had been made to award it to the Madras Security Printing Company. “Vital information of every citizen including the blood type of each of them, would be in the hands of the Indian company. They will have access to all data, ranging from demographic to biometric information of people. Today, the world is not ruled by the power of weapons but by data. Facebook was made to pay a huge fine for selling such data.

“The data business has surpassed the arms, pharmaceutical and narcotic businesses.

“We do not find anything wrong with the issuance of digital identity cards the way the government set about it is wrong. The project cost is estimated at LKRs 41.05 billion, of which the Indian government has promised to contribute LKRs 22.33 billion. The Sri Lankan government is supposed to raise LKRs 18.72 billion. It has now been decided that the Sri Lankan government will pay Rs 10.73 billion. Many Sri Lankan companies made bids but then there was a condition of completing the project within two years and the local bidders needed at least four years. The procurement process started in July, 2021. One of the conditions was that the bidding company should own a foundation ID mechanism.

It is said that the security printers elsewhere did not have this specific qualification. So, it has been designed in a manner only to allow Indian security printers. Tenders were called on 08 May, 2023. The deadline was 03 July, 2023. It was later changed to 14 August, 2023. It was changed again to 18 July, 2023. Thereafter it was extended till 01 August, 2023. The deadline was changed again to 02 August, 2023. The deadline has been changed to prevent some companies from bidding. Finally, there were two companies. One of them is Madras Security Printers, a company which has caused billions of rupees of losses to this country. It was blacklisted by several countries for questionable deals. According to the Justice Minister, this company caused Rs. 60,000 million in losses to Sri Lanka from the tender in 2016 to print safety stickers for bottles of liquor.

Responding, State Minister Kanaka Herath rejected the allegations, and said there would be no outsider accessing citizens’ data, all of which would be protected by law. He said no bidder had been given preferential treatment.