The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the appointment of H.M.J.M. Herath, a Special Grade officer in the Sri Lanka Administrative Service, as the new Commissioner General of Registration of Persons.
Herath was previously serving as District Secretary and Government Agent of Kegalle. The resolution was submitted by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in his capacity as Minister of Digital Economy, signalling that the appointment falls within the government’s centrally driven digital identity agenda.
The Department for Registration of Persons is the state agency responsible for issuing and maintaining National Identity Cards — the foundational document underpinning banking, voter registration, welfare payments and a growing range of e-government services. The department sits at the operational centre of the government’s Unique Digital Identity (UDI) programme, which is intended to give every citizen a biometric-backed digital ID usable across both public and private sector services.
Placing the appointment under the President’s Digital Economy portfolio, rather than the Ministry of Public Administration, reflects the priority the executive has attached to the biometric rollout. The same ministry oversees the GovTech app marketplace and is steering the Digital Governance Bill through Parliament.
The announcement did not set out specific milestones Herath is expected to deliver, and The Island’s report did not include a statement from the new Commissioner General. His immediate task will include guiding the department through the transition from the existing National Identity Card to the forthcoming biometric card, which officials have previously said could begin phased issuance later in 2026.
