Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe shuts down viral claims about Rs. 72,000 plug bases, revealing they’re industrial tools for Sri Lanka’s digital ID rollout, not home appliances. He says the procurement followed global standards and urges critics to check facts before spreading outrage
Deputy Minister of Technology Chathuranga Abeysinghe clarified in Parliament that the plug bases recently criticized on social media and in the political arena are not standard household items but industrial-grade components being used to provide technical infrastructure for Sri Lanka’s national digital identity program.
“These are not the plug bases used in our homes,” he said, addressing allegations that the government had authorized the purchase of plug bases at an inflated price of Rs. 72,000 each. “They are for use in factories and specialized technical environments, specifically to equip Divisional Secretariats with the infrastructure necessary to produce digital ID cards.”
Abeysinghe criticized what he described as a misinformation campaign. “I saw people struggling with a plug base on social media. The main opposition also took it on board. People asked, ‘How can a plug base be available for Rs. 72,000?’ They thought it was absurd and everyone followed that lie.”
He stressed that this was not an ordinary procurement but one carried out in accordance with both global and local standards, developed in collaboration with the University of Moratuwa and the government’s Procurement Committee.
“When this quotation was called, multiple companies submitted bids. If people are going to analyze this, they should not look only at the bid of a single company but compare across all bids received,” he said.
Furthermore, he explained that the final selection was not based solely on the lowest bid. “Sustainability and technical compliance were among the criteria considered. So, just because a company offers a lower price doesn’t guarantee it will win the bid,” he added.
Abeysinghe concluded by saying that while criticism of the government is expected, it must be based on facts. “Even if you want to attack the government, there is no point in doing so on this issue. There is no basis for it.”
