There are over 300,000 Sri Lankan voters who have no National Identity Cards (NICs) countrywide at present, according to a latest survey conducted by the Registration of Persons Department, and this situation came to light while verifying the Voters’ Registers.
Registration of Persons Department Commissioner General Viyani Gunathilake has already launched a programme to issue NICs to voters who have no NICs at present countrywide before the forthcoming local government elections are held. Accordingly, the Commissioner General has already held discussions with the Elections Commission in this regard.
Most of these voters have no original birth certificates and it has become an obstacle for them to get NICs immediately.
To solve that issue, a new legal procedure has been designed to be implemented by the Department and hence, all Grama Niladharies countrywide have already been issued with a special circular as to how such voters could be issued with new NICs in the future.
These voters have to forward an affidavit testifying their dates of births by three close relatives and three permanent residents of the villages they are presently residing in.
All adults who don’t possess NICs by now should take early steps to get NICs, and for more information on this subject, they should consult their respective Grama Niladhari soon, said Senior Kurunegala District Divisional Secretary W. E. Jayathilake speaking at a meeting of parents of students of the Bingiriya electorate in Kurunegala held at Bingiriya National School, yesterday.