Sri Lanka to implement ‘Unitary Digital Identity framework’ (UDIF) with India’s Assistance

India has agreed to provide a grant to Sri Lanka for implementing a ‘Unitary Digital Identity framework’ (UDIF).

Key Points About UDIF

• The Unitary Digital Identity Framework is apparently modelled on the Aadhaar card.
• The initiative follows bilateral talks between President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2019.
• Under the proposed UDIF it is expected to introduce a:

     1. Personal identity verification device based on biometric data

     2. Digital tool that can represent the identities of individuals in                         cyberspace and

     3. Identification of individual identities that can be accurately verified             in digital and physical environments by combining the two devices

• Sri Lankan government will give priority to the implementation of this Framework as a national level programme. Sri Lanka’s Cabinet of Ministers approved this proposal made by President Rajapaksa, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with India to obtain the grant and launch this project.
• This project comes amid substantive economic assistance from India, worth USD 1.4 billion to Sri Lanka, since the start of 2022 to help Sri Lanka cope with its dollar crunch, and import food, medicines and fuel due to shortages.

About Unitary Digital Identity Framework

Under the Unitary Digital Identity Framework, a personal identity verification device will be introduced, based on biometric data, which is a digital tool to represent identities of individuals in cyberspace. Identification of individual identities can be accurately verified in physical and digital environments by combining two devices.

What is value of UDIF grant?

Though India has confirmed support to Sri Lanka for transitioning to a digital identity system, but there is no information yet on the value of this grant.

Sri Lanka’s initiatives to digitise identities of citizens

This is not the first time that Sri Lanka is trying to digitise identities of citizens. During 2015-2019, President Maithripala Sirisena-Ranil Wickremesinghe administration launched a similar Electronic-National Identity Card (E-NIC). However, this card was opposed citing that the state would have full access to personal data of citizens in a central database. Former Mahinda Rajapaksa government tried to initiate this project in 2011, but it could not be implemented.

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