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| Tuesday, 2 September 2003 |
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Minister commends Commissioner, staff by Ananda Kannangara Interior Minister John Amaratunga yesterday commended the Commissioner and the staff of the Department for Registration of Persons (DRP) for initiating a massive programme to issue National Identity Cards (NICs) within a duration of eight hours. According to this programme any individual could obtain his/her Identity Card by furnishing the application form on any working day between 9.00 am and 1.00 pm to the Department Head Office at Keppettipola Mawatha, Colombo with the necessary documents and a payment of Rs. 500.00. Thereafter the processed Identity card will be issued to the owner or a person authorised by the owner at 4.00 pm. "The main objective of this programme is to reduce the inconvenience caused to persons visiting the Department on several occasions to look into the delays of their NIC's," DRP Commissioner Vijaya Ranasinghe said. Minister Amaratunga then highlighted that this new programme will largely benefit persons seeking National Identity Cards either for leaving the country for foreign employment or for national examinations and to obtain passports and also to visit foreign countries for urgent medical treatment. Commissioner Ranasinghe also mentioned that the normal service of issuing IDs still exists and steps have also been taken to issue them within a period of three weeks. However at yesterday's inaguration Ranjith Weeranayaka who visited the Department Head Office from Dehiattakandiya last morning was issued his NIC under the new scheme within a duration of just 30 minutes. When Minister Amaratunga inquired about the frequent complaints made by the public for the long delays in issuing their NICs, the Commissioner responded that lack of necessary documents attached by persons in their application forms have caused the delay. At this juncture the Secretary to the Interior Minister M. N. Junaid said that under a proposed NIC' distribution scheme which is to be implemented shortly, the authority to approve NIC applications will be given to the Government sector staff officers such as directors, assistant directors, commissioners, higher police officers, higher officers in the three armed forces, doctors, lawyers and school principals in addition to the Gramaseva Niladaris. |
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