News
NPP to go ahead with Unique Digital Identity project amidst protests
In spite of strong opposition, the NPP government and India are going ahead with the Sri Lanka Unique Digital Identity (SLUDI) project. The National Freedom Front and Frontline Socialist Party, both JVP offshoots, have bitterly warned of catastrophic consequences for the country from the India-led project.
Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha explained measures taken in this regard at the recent BIMSTEC Digital Conclave 2025 in Colombo.
The IHC quoted Jha as having said: “In the bilateral context, the recent visit of President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka to India added further momentum to this very important pillar of cooperation – people-centric digitisation. The leaders agreed to expedite implementation of the India-assisted INR 300 crores Sri Lanka Unique Digital Identity (SLUDI) project which will act as the foundational DPI and unlock developmental dividends of the DPI Stack for Sri Lanka. A Joint Working Group on Digital Economy has also been set up. Technical discussions on the implementation of DigiLocker in Sri Lanka are ongoing. While UPI Payments was launched in Sri Lanka last year for the ease of payments for Indian tourists, we are now looking at extending the use of UPI digital payments for the benefit of both countries.
There is also interest for bilateral exchanges to garner learnings from India’s GeM portal, PM Gati Shakti digital platform on coordinated and integrated development of infrastructure, digitized customs and other taxation procedures, with a view to exploring the benefits of establishing equivalent systems in Sri Lanka. The benefits of these are clearly visible in India. GeM Portal alone has led to saving of 13 billion US Dollars in the last decade by bringing down expenditure on projects and procurements. The GATI SHAKTI has significantly expanded the pace of infrastructure development. Similarly, Digitisation of Taxation System has increased revenues and has even brought in greater transparency, the Indian HC claimed.
I look forward to the conversations at the BIMSTEC Digital Conclave, as it takes the participants through the entire bouquet of DPI stack.
Before I conclude, let me just say that the digital world is shifting gears from open APIs (Application Programming Interface) to open source AI models. India is building foundational AI models using 18000+ high-end GPUs and large non-personal data sets. Compared to global models’ computation costing 2.5 to 3 dollars per hour usage, India’s AI Model computation will cost less than 100 rupees per hour after 40% government subsidy. India’s AI Mission is based on Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s Vision of AI for All. As in other areas, we are ready and willing to share our journey with our closest maritime neighbor-Sri Lanka and our BIMSTEC partners.”
HC Jha congratulated NPP government for the digital initiatives launched, including the ‘GovPay’ platform for digitization of all government payments, and the introduction of the Electronic Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates facility for Sri Lankans abroad.
These initiatives form part of the special emphasis laid on digital transformation by the Sri Lankan Government led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka. This emphasis, together with Sri Lanka being the BIMSTEC sectoral lead for Science, Technology and Innovation, make Colombo the obvious choice for hosting this Digital Conclave, he said.
The Sri Lanka Navy assisted to bring a stranded trawler with a foreign tourist couple back to shore safely, on the night of 09 Feb 25. The trawler had been adrift at sea between Delft Island and Kurikadduwan due to an operational failure, without fuel.
The trawler, with a couple of tourists who had visited Delft Island, was en route from Delft to Kurikadduwan Jetty in the evening of 09 Feb, when it came across the failure and began drifting at sea. The distress was noticed by SLNS Wasabha stationed on Delft Island.
Upon further inspection by the Inshore Patrol Craft P 239 belonging to SLNS Wasabha, it was confirmed that the trawler was adrift without fuel. The Navy promptly provided the necessary assistance and safely brought the trawler, along with the tourists, to Kurikadduwan Jetty.
Dr. Krishnamoorthy Subramanian, Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), paid a courtesy visit on the Prime Minister, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, at the Prime Minister’s Office.
The meeting focused on key economic matters, including Sri Lanka’s tax policy, the effective management of tax revenue, and measures to enhance public sector efficiency. The Prime Minister also outlined the government’s future development agenda, emphasizing policy initiatives to ensure economic stability and foster sustainable growth.
Dr. P.K.G. Harischandra, Alternate Executive Director of the IMF, also participated in the discussions.
The Sri Lankan delegation included Pradeep Saputhanthri, Secretary to the Prime Minister; Ms. Sagarika Bogahawatta, Additional Secretary (Development) to the Prime Minister; Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka; Dr. C. Amarasekara, Assistant Governor of the Central Bank; Dr. Lasitha R.C. Pathberiya, Additional Director of Economic Research; Amila J. Wijayawardhana, Senior Economist and Liaison Officer for the IMF Executive Director; Ms. Lashinka Dammullage, Director (Bilateral), Economic Affairs Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Samantha Bandara, Director General of the Department of External Resources.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
Aragalaya violence:
Given that Sri Lankan law stipulates that the maximum compensation payable for a completely destroyed house is Rs. 2.5 million, the government must recover any excess payments made to MPs who have lost their properties in May 2022, legal expert Dr. Pratibha Mahanamahewa has said.
Dr. Mahanamahewa said compensation to property damage is paid under the current disaster relief policy, which operates under the Disaster Management Act, enacted in 2005.
Under this policy, the government could pay only Rs. 2.5 million for a destroyed house, he said, calling for an investigation to ascertain how large sums of money had been disbursed to compensate parliamentarians whose homes were set on fire during the protests.
Dr. Mahanamahewa said that the previous government had based compensation on recommendations made by a committee appointed by the then Minister of Public Administration. He stressed the need to scrutinise the criteria and basis on which this Committee made its recommendations. He said that many of the compensated homes had fire insurance policies, and the respective insurance companies had already paid compensation to the affected individuals.
Therefore, he proposed that the excess payments be recovered and returned to the Treasury through a proper mechanism. (RK)
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