The government plans to replace all existing National Identity Cards (NICs) with digital identity cards within the next few years, Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eranga Weerarathna has said.
Speaking on the government’s digitalisation programme, the Deputy Minister said steps are being taken to issue the first digital ID within the coming months.
He said the government is giving priority to the development of the digital economy and expects to move towards a fully digital identity system by around August next year.
According to the Deputy Minister, the present government aims to transition the approximately 17 million people currently holding existing identity cards to the new digital system within a period of around two years thereafter.
The proposed digital ID system is part of the government’s broader programme to accelerate digital transformation and modernise identity services in Sri Lanka, according to the Deputy Minister.