Electronic card for migrant employees

Rasika Somarathna

All Sri Lankans migrating for employment are to be issued with an electronic card for financial transactions plus personal identification.

The electronic debit card for migrants was launched Sunday - International Migrants' Day.

The card will include identification and contact details plus an account which can be accessed by Lankan workers while working abroad," Foreign Employment and Welfare Minister Dilan Perera said.

Perera said that it could also be used as an official identity card by the workers while working abroad.

Initially, the electronic card is to be issued via state banks. The ministry intends to encompass private banks too for the initiative later.

The minister explaining the aim of the initiative said this would facilitate multiple benefits for recipients such as easy financial transactions and personal identification, especially in the absence of a passport.

He explained that in some instances foreign employers of Lankan workers keep the passport of the worker in their possession for security. "In such instances the card could act as a valuable tool for personal identification purposes," he added.

Financial transactions of workers are to be made simple and easy with the introduction of the card, which can be used for deposits and withdrawals.

Foreign employment authorities are planning to integrate more facilities to the card in the future for the benefit of Sri Lankan migrant workers.