Infosys reported front-runner for Sri Lanka e-NIC tender, raising sovereignty concerns

Infosys, an Indian IT firm closely associated with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is on track to win the contract for Sri Lanka’s Electronic National Identity Card (e-NIC) project, according to local media reports. An opposition party and a student activist have raised concerns that the rumored contract would undermine Sri Lanka’s national sovereignty by reducing domestic control over citizen’s sensitive personal data.

These e-NICs will feature biographic and biometric data, including fingerprint, iris, and facial recognition, to enhance security and efficiency in identity verification. India is providing the funding for the e-NIC tender, as well as technical support.

The Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) claims that the e-NIC tender process, which completed on May 8, 2026, has led to the selection of Infosys, further embedding Indian influence in Sri Lanka. The FSP yesterday raised digital sovereignty concerns about the government’s rumored selection of Infosys.

This echoes concerns raised in April by prominent Sri Lankan student leader and activist Wasantha Mudalige about the e-NIC tender process regarding data privacy and national sovereignty, alleging that the state compromised its biometric data infrastructure through opaque international agreements. 

FSP Education Secretary Pubudu Jayagoda drew attention to the risks of trusting sensitive national data, including biometric information, to an Indian company, alleging that this would limit Sri Lankan oversight and control. 

Jayagoda also pointed out that an agreement made during President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s visit to India in December 2024 allowed India to oversee the tender process for the e-NIC project, which his party views as a major compromise of national sovereignty.

Last year the Department of Registration of Persons procured 700,000 polycarbonate cards from Thales for the e-NIC project.  

Infosys is one of the five firms shortlisted for the Sri Lanka Unique Digital ID (SL-UDI) Master System Integrator tender. That contract has yet to be publicly awarded despite expectations that it would be finalized months ago. Concerns about public trust and the integrity of the SL-UDI  bidding process have also been raised by civil society groups who oppose the transfer of highly sensitive biometric data of Sri Lankan citizens to a foreign entity. 

Article Topics

digital ID  |  e-ID  |  Infosys  |  procurement  |  Sri Lanka  |  tender