Online programme launched to verify details of NICs

COLOMBO (News 1st): The Department for Registration of Persons has launched a special online program to verify information pertaining to National Identity Cards information, a top official from the department said. This program will enable state institutions, corporations, statutory boards, banks, and financial institutions in Sri Lanka to certify the information in the National Identity Card online, given the consent of the clients when fulfilling service requirements, Viyani Gunathilaka, the Commissioner-General of Registration of Persons told News 1st on Saturday (Mar. 06). According to Gunathilaka, a number of institutions including the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka and the Department of Immigration and Emigration have already entered into agreements with regard to the online verification service of personal data. Moreover, agreements are set to be signed with many other institutions including the Department of Pensions in the future, he added. Through this program, which is being carried out with the technical assistance of the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA), authorities will be able to prevent fraudulent activities. Accordingly, Viyani Gunathilaka, the Commissioner-General of Registration of Persons was of the view that in the digital-economic process combined with new technology, the identity of individuals can be ensured in a more accurate and reliable manner, which enables all institutions to provide a formal and efficient public service.