Plans to issue one million NICs before year's end

Minister of Buddha Sasana, Public Security, Law and Order and Deputy Minister of Defence Ratnasiri Wickremanayake inaugurating the new Computerised Unit of the Department of Registration of Persons at Jawatte Road, Colombo yesterday said that the Ministry has targeted to issue ten lakhs of National Identity Cards to those who do not possess them at present, before end of December this year.

This is in keeping with the provisions in the recent legislation passed in Parliament amending the election laws requiring that those who vote at future elections should establish their identity.

The Minister stressed that the law passed does not make the National Identity Card compulsory for voting. The voter however should prove his identity by producing any other document like the passport and driving licence etc. However the National Identity Card is the commonly used document to establish a citizen's identity and everyone should strive to obtain them as it was an important document to posses.

Minister Wickremanayake said that as the Secretary of the Ministry of Public Security Tilak Ranaviraja stated a person who does not posses an identity card should first of all apply to issue a card. Without applying the Department cannot issue them. As such first the people should be educated by politicians and officials and senior citizens at AGA's level on the need to apply as many are lethargic about applying and later complain that they do not have an ID.

Secretary Ministry of Public Security, Law and Order Tilak Ranaviraja said that last year there was a national debate on making National Identity Cards compulsory at future elections. After much debate the law was passed making it compulsory for the voter to establish his or her identity at voting.

The Department of Registration of Persons was given a stiff challenge to produce an estimated 10 lakhs of identity cards within one year. They started work on it in February this year, but due to the tsunami disaster the work fell back as they had to issue nearly one lakh of IDs to the tsunami affected people.