Sri Lanka: New state, deputy ministers sworn in

Colombo, Nov 27 (IANS) As many as 35 state Ministers and three deputy Ministers were sworn in before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat on Wednesday.

The development came a week after a 16-member Cabinet was appointed by the Sri Lankan President, The Sunday Times reported.

The new set of ministers will function till the next parliamentary election.

The newly-appointed ministers are as follows:

State Ministers

Chamal Rajapaksa - State Minister of Defence

S.B. Dissanayake - State Minister of Lands and Land Development

John Seneviratne - State Minister of Economic Affairs and Policy Development

Arundika Fernando - State Minister of Tourism

Mahindananda Aluthgamage - State Minister of Power

Susil Premajantha - State Minister of Foreign Affairs

Vasudeva Nanayakkara - State Minister of Water Supply

Gamini Lokuge - State Minister of Urban Development

Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena - State Minister of Irrigation and Rural Development

Mahinda Samarasinghe - State Minister of Public Administration and Home Affairs

C.B. Ratnayake - State Minister of Railways

Dilum Amunugama - State Minister of Transport

Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena - State Minister of Information and Communication

Susantha Punchinilame - State Minister of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises Development

Anura Priyadarshana Yapa - State Minister of Internal Trade and Consumer Welfare

Priyankara Jayaratne - State Minister of Indigenous Medicine

Ranjith Siyambalapitiya - State Minister of Education

Duminda Dissanayake - State Minister of Youth Affairs

Rohitha Abeygunawardena - State Minister of Energy

Dayasiri Jayasekara - State Minister of Industries

Lasantha Alagiyawanna - State Minister of Public Administration

Keheliya Rambukwella - State Minister of Investment Promotion

Thilanga Sumathipala - State Minister of Technology and Innovation

Mohan Priyadarshana de Silva - State Minister of Human Rights and Legal Reforms

Vijitha Berugoda - State Minister of Women and Child Affairs

Wimalaweera Dissanayaka - State Minister of Wildlife Resources

Jayantha Samaraweera - State Minister of Environment

Sanath Nishantha Perera - State Minister of Fisheries and Fisheries Industries

Tharaka Balasuriya - State Minister of Community Empowerment

Roshan Ranasinghe - State Minister of Mahaweli Development

Janaka Wakkumbura - State Minister of Export Agriculture

Vidura Wickremanayake - State Minister of Agriculture

Shehan Semasinghe - State Minister of Development Banks and Loans

Kanaka Herath - State Minister of Ports

Lohan Ratwatte - State Minister of Highways

Deputy Ministers

Indika Anuruddha - Deputy Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government

Nimal Lanza - Deputy Minister of Community Empowerment and Estate Infrastructure Development

Kanchana Wijesekera - Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources