President announces 28 cabinet Ministries, 40 state ministries

• More responsibilities and authority to state ministers   
• Seven institutions including BOI, Port City, ICTA and IT related institutions directly under President  
• Ajith Nivard to be appointed State Finance Minister   
• All 15 in the outgoing Cabinet to receive portfolios in the new Cabinet  

By Kelum Bandara and Lahiru Pothmulla  

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in an extraordinary gazette notification yesterday announced the names of 28 ministries and 40 state ministries of his new government. The creation of the new Cabinet and state ministry portfolios has been done in keeping with the policy of his government - to assign policy formulation to the Cabinet Ministers and implementation to the State Ministers.    

The Cabinet includes the posts held by the President and the Prime Minister.   
The Cabinet Ministries are Defence, Finance, Buddha Sasana & Religious and Cultural Affairs, Urban Development and Housing, Justice, Foreign, Public Services & Provincial Council and Local Government, Education, Health, Labour, Environment, Wildlife and Conservation, Agriculture, Irrigation, Lands, Fisheries, Plantations, Water Supply, Power, Energy, Ports and Shipping, Transport, Highways, Youth Affairs and Sports, Tourism, Trade, Industries and Mass Media.  

The assignment of 40 state ministries are; One State Ministry each for Defence, Buddha Sasana & Religious and Cultural Affairs, Justice, Foreign, Public Services & Provincial Council and Local Government, Labour, Wildlife and Conservation, Lands, Fisheries, Water Supply, Power, Ports and Shipping, Transport, Highways, Youth Affairs and Sports, Tourism, Trade and Mass Media Ministries.  

Two State Ministries each under the Finance, Health and Irrigation Ministries.  

Three State Ministries each for Urban Development and Housing and Agriculture, Plantations and Industries Ministries.  

Meanwhile, Four State Ministries have been assigned for the Ministry of Education.  

Twenty-three institutions and departments including the office of the Chief of Defence Staff,  tri-forces, Rakna Arakshaka Lanka Limited, Civil Security Department,  Api Wenuwen Api Fund, Multi-purpose Development Task Force Department,  the Archaeology Department, the Academy of Financial studies have been gazetted under the Ministry of Defence.   Seven institutions which are considered of national priority and coordination including the Port City, Board of Investment,  SLT,  Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT), Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) had not been allocated under any ministry and therefore they will come under the purview of the President.  

It is learnt that National List MP Ajith Nivaard Cabral will be appointed as a State Minister of Finance. The Cabinet Ministry will be held by the Prime Minister. Meanwhile, sources said all the 15 ministers who served in the outgoing Cabinet will receive portfolios in the new Cabinet. In addition , 11 new faces will be introduced to the Cabinet.  According to the President’s Media Division (PMD), the Gazette Notification detailed the composition, scope, institutions that come under the ministries and applicable laws and regulations of the Ministries.  
It said the priorities of the nation,  policy responsibilities and task have been taken into consideration when preparing the Ministries.   “State Ministries have been created in such a way as to facilitate the achievement of specific priorities and the implementation of relevant programmes in line with the broad scope of each Cabinet Ministry.  

Special attention was paid to the areas of national security, economic development, infrastructure, education, health and sports in the process of formulating the Ministry structure,” the PMD said.  

The Ministers and the Ministers of State will be sworn-in before President Rajapaksa at the historic Magul Maduwa (Audience Hall) of the Temple of Sacred Tooth Relic premises in Kandy on Wednesday (12).