Ravi K’s cabinet paper on eNIC project comes under fire in P’ment

By Ashwin Hemmathagama 

Our Lobby Correspondent

Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake’s Cabinet Paper on the Electronic National Identity Card (ENIC) project came under fire yesterday in Parliament.

Leader of the Opposition, Nimal Siripala de Silva, accused the Government of taking the project away from the Department of Registration of Persons, which comes under the Ministry of Public Order and Christian Religious Affairs and getting the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA), which comes under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, involved in it. 



“Minister Karunanayake has presented this Cabinet Paper on 10 June 2015 without speaking to the Ministry of Public Order and Christian Religious Affairs. The Minister of Finance has no right or authority to do so. Why wasn’t it presented as a joint Cabinet paper of both Ministries? What is the basis used to appoint the current Chairman of the ICTA? The current ICTA Chief Executive Officer is the CEO of a private institution also engaged in ICT,” the Opposition Leader said.

“The Department of Registration of Persons is the sole authority established in the country to register people and issue a national identity card. Since October 1971 it was engaged in issuing identity cards. A Cabinet Paper, dated 27 July 2011, received approval to convert the conventional system into an ENIC. A special unit to execute this was also established under the department and technical assistance was received from the University of Moratuwa. 

“The operations centre constructed in Battaramulla, along with the primary data centre, and the secretariat for the identification of persons is nearing completion. To fulfil the operational requirement, 827 graduates were recruited and trained. So, Minister Karunanayake has exceeded his authority by presenting the Cabinet Paper,” he added.

The Government will respond during the course of this week.