Power and functions delegated to only 6 of 38 State Ministers

• PM, Dullas, Prasanna Ranatunga delegate powers to State Ministers under their purview
• Three banks brought under State Minister of Development Banks and Loans
• Department of Public Enterprises and Department of Trade and Investment Policy also goes to SM
• State Ministers Keheliya Rambukwella, Arundika Fernando, Duminda Dissanayake and Ranjith Siyambalapitiya also delegated powers
• BOI, underperforming State entities come under Keheliya; Arundika gets all key tourism agencies

By Chandani Kirinde​

More than a month after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed 38 State Ministers, powers and functions have been delegated to only six of them so far by the relevant Cabinet ministers.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is also the Minister of Finance, Economic and Policy Development, delegated powers to State Minister of Economic and Policy Development John Seneviratne and the State Minister of Development Banks and Loans Shehan Semasinghe last week.

Seneviratne has hence been allocated the National Planning Department, Department of Public Enterprises, Department of Trade and Investment Policy, Department of Census and Statistics, Department of Valuation, Department of Registrar Companies, Department of Commerce and the Sustainable Development Council.

Semasinghe has been allocated the Department of Development Finance, Credit Information Bureau, Sri Lanka Export Credit Insurance Corporation, Regional Development Bank, State Mortgage & Investment Bank, Housing Development Finance Corporation, and the Lankaputhra Development Bank.Minister of Education, Sports and Youth Affairs Dullas Alahapperuma has also delegated powers and functions assigned to him.

State Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Duminda Dissanayake has been allocated the National Youth Services Council, National Youth Corps, National Youth Awards Authority, National Youths Services Cooperative Limited, National Centre for Leadership Development, and the Institute of Smart Sri Lanka, while State Minister of Education Services Ranjith Siyambalapitiya has been allocated the Department of Education Publications, Sri Lanka Publication Development Bureau, National Library and Documentation Services Board, Pirivena Education Board, and State Printing Cooperation.

Secretary to the President Dr. P.B. Jayasundera informed all Ministry Secretaries on 23 December to issue the Gazette notification on subjects and functions of the State Ministers promptly, in accordance with the Cabinet Memorandum presented by the President in this regard.

The other Minister to delegate powers and institutions was Tourism and Aviation, Industrial Exports and Investment Promotions Minister Prasanna Ranatunga.

State Minister for Tourism Promotion Arundika Fernando has been assigned Sri Lanka Tourist Promotion Bureau (SLTPB), Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), Sri Lanka Tourist Hotel Management Institute, and Sri Lanka Conventions Bureau.

His roles will be to oversee tourism development, destination marketing, registration of tourist guides, and develop Sri Lanka as a tourist destination famous for biodiversity, history, culture, and being environmentally friendly and climate-resistant. 

State Minister Keheliya Rambukwella has been assigned the Board of Investment along with all the under-performing entities vested under Revival of Underperforming Enterprises or Underutilized Assets Act No 43 of 2011 by the Treasury.

He is tasked with enhancing Foreign Direct Investments as well as local investments via the BOI, development of BOI Zones, and ensuring turnaround of underperforming State enterprises.