18 new State and Deputy Ministers sworn in

President Maithripala Sirisena handing over the Social Empowerment Deputy Minister portfolio to MP Ranjan Ramanayake 

By Skandha Gunasekara

The Gazette notifications relating to the subjects of newly-appointed ministries will be issued next week, Secretary to the President, Austin Fernando, said yesterday.

President Sirisena also rejected accusations that the ministries had not been assigned in a scientific manner. 

Some people allege that the ministries have not been assigned on scientific basis as promised. I reject that allegation. When assigning the ministries, the Prime Minister and I discussed about it and made changes. I must say that I will consider the scientific basis when the subjects and institutions of the ministries were gazetted. Most ministries which had allegations against them were changed under the new reshuffle,” he said at the swearing in ceremony.

Meanwhile the notification gazetting the names of the new Cabinet Ministers was issued yesterday, Fernando told the Daily FT, adding that the Gazette notification for yesterday’s State and Deputy Ministerial appointments would be issued today.

“The gazettes have to be issued in all three languages. The Gazette on the subjects of the new ministries will be issued next week,” he said.

Meanwhile, responding to doubts regarding the scientific method used to house the different subjects under various ministries, the Secretary to the President said that it had been carried out in the most practical and feasible manner.

“There are many constraints in separating and bringing together subjects under various ministries. One would think it would easy to house all subjects relating to education under one ministry but that is not the case. There are three different sections of education – the standard education system, the higher education system and vocational training. Each of these separate sections have different issues therefore it is impractical to bring all three under one portfolio,” Fernando explained backing President Sirisena’s statements, adding that the scientific method “should not be looked at in a black and white manner.”

The remainder of the ministerial reshuffle took place yesterday with 18 new State and Deputy Minister being appointed by President Maithripala Sirisena.

The swearing-in ceremony took place yesterday at the Presidential Secretariat, commencing at around 10.45 a.m.

Accordingly, the newly-appointed State Ministers were Palitha Range Bandara as the State Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Management and Disaster Management; Dilip Wedaarachchi as the State Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development and Rural Economy; M.L.A.M. Hizbullah as the State Minister of Highways and Road Development; Mohan Lal Grero as the State Minister of Higher Education and Cultural Affairs; A.D. Champika Premadasa as the State Minister of Plantation Industries; Lakshman Senewiratne as the State Minister of Science, Technology and Research, Skills Development and Vocational Training, and Hill Country Heritage; Sriyani Wijewickrama as the State Minister of Sports, Provincial Councils and Local Government and Weerakumara Dissanayake as the State Minister of Mahaweli Development.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Ministers sworn in were Karunarathna Paranawithana as the Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Research, Skills Development and Vocational Training, and Hill Country Heritage; Ameer Ali Shihabdeen as the Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development and Rural Economy; Dunesh Gankanda as the Deputy Minister of Lands and Parliamentary Reforms; Ranjan Ramanayake as the Deputy Minister of Social Empowerment; Sarathie Dushmantha as the Deputy Minister of Justice and Prison Reforms; Palitha Kumara Thewarapperuma as the Deputy Minister of Sustainable Development, Wildlife and Regional Development; Manusha Nanayakkara as the Deputy Minister of Telecommunication, Digital Infrastructure and Foreign Employment; Muthu Sivalingam as the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and Wayamba Development; Seyed Ali Zahir Moulana as the Deputy Minister of National Integration, Reconciliation and Official Languages and H.M.M. Harees as the Deputy Minister of Public Enterprise and Kandy Development.