Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna MP Namal Rajapaksa has called on the government to state plainly when the country’s Digital ID will be issued, saying the deadline set for the project has passed without delivery.
Writing on X, the MP said the government had announced successive timelines for the Digital ID over nearly two years, the Daily Mirror reported.
“April 2026 was announced as a target. That deadline has now passed, and we are once again being told that the first Digital ID will be issued by the end of this year. How many more deadlines must the people wait through?” he said.
He argued that digital transformation requires more than announcements, calling for delivery, accountability and timelines that are honoured. “The Government must tell the people clearly: when will the Digital ID actually be delivered?” he said.
The timeline he is pointing at
The April 2026 target was announced by the government itself, alongside assurances on citizen privacy and data security. That date passed without a card being issued.
Ada Derana reported on 19 August that the first Digital ID is now to be issued by the end of this year, and that all vehicle fines are to be paid exclusively online from September — the year-end promise Rajapaksa is referring to.
The project has a longer history of slipping dates. It was originally structured around Indian funding, and the government revised its position on the scheme in May after civil society raised concerns about the design.
Neither the Ministry of Digital Economy nor the government has publicly responded to the MP’s question. No other verified Sri Lankan newsroom had carried his remarks as of Saturday evening.
