Several MPs from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and a member of the Rajapaksa family are among 37 state ministers who took their oaths before president Ranil Wickremesinghe today (08).
SLFP’s Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, Jagath Pushpakumara, Lasantha Alagiyawanna, Chamara Sampath Dassanayake, Suren Raghavan and Shantha Bandara joined government ranks as state ministers, while Shasheendra Rajapaksa too, received a portfolio.
Further, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan and Diana Gamage are among the other notable appointees.
Dr. Seetha Arambepola, who was reportedly going to resign from her seat to pave the way for former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to enter parliament, too, took oaths as a state minister.
Following is the list of state ministers:
- Jagath Pushpakumara - State Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion
- Ranjith Siyambalapitiya - State Minister of Finance
- Lasantha Alagiyawanna - State Minister of Transport
- Janaka Wakkumbura - State Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government
- Mohan Priyadarshana de Silva - State Minister of Agriculture
- Rohana Dissanayake - State Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs
- Lohan Ratwatte - State Minister of Plantation Industries
- Indika Anuruddha - State Minister of Power and Energy
- Sanath Nishantha - State Minister of Water Supply
- Dilum Amunugama - State Minister of Investment Promotion
- Vijitha Berugoda - State Minister of Piriven Education
- Siripala Gamlath - State Minister of Highways
- Shantha Bandara - State Minister of Mass Media
- Kanaka Herath - State Minister of Technology
- Shehan Semasinghe - State Minister of Finance
- Thenuka Vidanagamage - State Minister of Economic Development and Housing
- Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon - State Minister of Defence
- Arundika Fernando - State Minister of Urban Development and Housing
- Tharaka Balasuriya - State Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Anuradha Jayaratne - State Minister of Justice and Prisons Reforms
- Sathasivam Viyalanderan - State Minister of Trade
- Sisira Jayakody - State Minister of Indigenous Medicine
- Piyal Nishantha de Silva - State Minister of Fisheries
- Prasanna Ranaweera - State Minister of Small and Medium Scale Enterprise Development
- D.V. Chanaka - State Minister of Conservation of Wildlife and Forest Reserves
- D.B. Herath - State Minister of Livestock Development
- Shasheendra Rajapaksa - State Minister of Irrigation
- Dr. Seetha Arambepola - State Minister of Health
- Kader Masthan - State Minister of Rural Economy
- Ashoka Priyantha - State Minister of Home Affairs
- Aravindh Kumar - State Minister of Education
- Geetha Kumarasinghe - State Minister of Women and Child Affairs
- Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan - State Minister of Rural Road Development
- Suren Raghavan - State Minister of Higher Education
- Diana Gamage - State Minister of Tourism
- Chamara Sampath Dasanayake - State Minister of Primary Industries
- Anupa Pasqual - State Minister of Social Empowerment