New Cabinet of Ministers sworn in
Photo courtesy of Buddhika Weerasinghe
President Mahinda Rajapaksa today carried out the first reshuffle of the Cabinet since he assumed office in November 2005. Fifty one Members of Parliament were sworn in as Cabinet Ministers before the President at the assembly hall of the Presidential Secretariat. The new Cabinet of Ministers will include 10 members from the Opposition United National   Party (UNP) who have crossed over to the Government.  The former Deputy Leader of the UNP, Mr. Karu Jayasuriya was sworn in as Minister of Public Administration and Home Affairs. In all there are 10 members of the UNP in the new Cabinet. Thirty three Non-Cabinet Ministers and 19 Deputy Ministers were also sworn before the President today. The leader of the UNP, Mr. Rauff Hakeem also took his oaths as Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, leading MPs from the SLMC who are joining the Government. President Mahinda Rajapaksa retained his portfolios of Defence, Public Security, Law and Order, Religious Affairs, Finance and Planning, and Nation Building Following are the new Cabinet Ministers, Non-Cabinet Ministers and Deputy Ministers who took their oaths today (January 28, 07) before President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Cabinet Ministers and Portfolios

2007 New Cabinet Ministers in Sri Lanka

His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapaksha
Defence, Public Security, Law and Order, Religious Affairs, Finance and Planning, and Nation Building
1
 Ratnasiri Wickremanayake Prime Minister & Minister of Internal Administration
2
 Anura Bandaranaike Minister of National Heritage
3
 D.M. Jayaratne Minister of Plantation Industries
4
 Amarasiri Dodangoda The Minister of Justice Hon. Amarasiri Dodangoda did not participate in the oath taking as he is indisposed
5
 Nimal Siripala de Silva Minister of Healthcare and Nutrition
6
 Mangala Samaraweera Minister of Ports and Aviation
7
 A.H.M. Fowzie Minister of Petroleum and Petroleum Resources Development
8
 Jeyeraj Fernandopulle Minister of Highways & Road Development
9
 Maitripala Sirisena Minister of Agricultural Development & Agrarian Services Development
10 Susil Premajayantha Minister of Education
11 Karu Jayasuriya Minister of Public Administration and Home Affairs
12
 Arumugam Thondaman Minister of Youth Empowerment and Socio Economic Development
13 Rauff Hakeem Minister of Posts & Telecommunication
14 Dinesh Gunawardena Minister of Urban Development and Sacred Area Development
15 K.N. Douglas Devananda Minister of Social Services and Social Welfare
16
 Mrs. Ferial Ashroff Minister of Housing and Common Amenities
17
 P.Chandrasekeran Minister of Community Development and Social Inequity Eradication
18
 A.L.M. Athaulla Minister of Water Supply and Drainage
19
 Professor Tissa Vitharana Minister of Science and Technology
20 D.E.W. Gunasekera Minister of Constitutional Affairs and National Integration
21 Abdul Risath Bathiyutheen Minister of Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services
22 P. Dayaratne Minister of Plan Implementation
23 R. M. Dharmadasa Banda Minister of Supplementary Crops Development
24 M.H. Mohomed Minister of Parliamentary Affairs
25 Professor G. L. Peiris Minister of Export Development & International Trade
26 W.D.J. Seneviratne Minister of Power and Energy
27 Sumedha G. Jayasena Minister of Child Development and Women's Affairs
28 Dr. Sarath Amunugama Minister of Enterprise Development & Investment Promotion
29
 Milroy Fernando Minister of Public Estate Management & Development
30
 Jeewan Kumaranatunga Minister of Land and Land Development
31
 Pavithra Wanniarachchi Minister of Youth Affairs
32
 Anura Priyadarshana Yapa Minister of Media and Information
33
 Tissa Karaliyadde Minister of Indigenous Medicine
34
 Athauda Seneviratne Minister of Labour and Manpower
35 Gamini Lokuge Minister of Sports and Public Recreation
36 Bandula Gunawardena Minister of Trade, Marketing Development, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs
37 Mahinda Samarasinghe Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights
38 Rajitha Senaratne Minister of Construction and Engineering Services
39 Mahinda Wijesekera Minister of Special Projects
40 Milinda Moragoda Minister of Tourism
41 Keheliya Rambukwelle Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare
42 Piyasena Gamage Minister of Vocational and Technical Training
43 R. M.S.B. Navinna Minister of Rural Industries & Self-Employment Promotion
44 Janaka Bandara Tennakoon Minister of Local Government and Provincial Councils
45 Felix Perera Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources
46
 R. M. C. B. Rathnayake Minister of Livestock Development
47
 Rohitha Bogollagama Minister of Foreign Affairs
48
 Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena Minister of Cultural Affairs
49
 Professor Wiswa Warnapala Minister of Higher Education
50
 Chamal Rajapaksa Minister of Irrigation and Water Management
51 Kumara Welgama Minister of Industrial Development
52 Dullas Alahaperuma Minister of Transport
Non Cabinet Ministers
1
 Salinda Dissanayake Minister of Coconut Development
2
 Dilan Perera Minister of Justice
3
 Hemakumara Nanayakkara Minister of Agriculture
4
 Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena Minister of Media & Foreign Employment
5
 M. N. Abdul Majeed Minister of Cooperatives
6
 Ameer Ali Sihabdeen Minister of Disaster Relief Services
7
 A. P. Jagath Pushpakumara Minister of Nation Building
8
 R. A. Jayatissa Minister of Textile Industries
9
 Chandrasiri Gajadeera Minister of Home Affairs
10
 T. B. Ekanayake Minister of Highways
11
 Mahinda Amaraweera Minister of Water Supply
12
 Rohitha Abeygunawardana Minister of Nation Building
13
 Anwar Ismail Minister of Irrigation
14
 S. M. Chandrasena Minister of Water Supply
15
 Bandula Basnayake Minister of Sports
16
 Gunaratna Weerakoon Minister of Nation Building
17
 Sripathi Suriyarachchi Minister of Port Development
18
 D. M. Dassanayake Minister of Nation Building
19
 Pandu Bandaranaike Minister for Religious Affairs
20
 Mahindananda Aluthgamage Minister of Power
21
 Mervyn Silva Minister of Labour
22
 Naveen Dissanayake Minister of Investment Promotion
23
 Jayaratna Herath Minister of Health Promotion & Disease Prevention
24 Dayashiritha Tissera Minister of Skills Development
25 Duminda Dissanayake Minister of Petroleum Resources
26 Ranjith Siyambalapitiya Minister of State Revenue and Finance
27 Lasantha Alagiyawanna Minister of Road Passenger Transport
28 Rohana Kumara Dissasnayake Urban Development
29 Nirmala Kothalawala Minister of Education Services
30 Cegu Isadeen Minister of Export Development
31 H. R. Mithrapala Minister of Consumer Affairs
32 Basheer Cegu Dawood Minister of Local Government
33 Mano Wijeratna Minister of Enterprise Development
 
Deputy Ministers
1 Sangaralingam Sellasamy Posts
2 Muttu Sivanlingam Estate Infrastructure
3 G. V. Susantha Punchinilame Public Estate Management and Development
4 Siripala Gamlath Agrarian Services
5 Hussein Bhaila Foreign Affairs
6 Faizer Mustapha Tourism
7 Murugan Satchithanandan Education
8 P. H. Lionel Premasiri Social Services & Social Welfare
9 W. B. Ekanayake Highways
10 Suresh Vadivel Health
11 Chandrasiri Suriarachchi Land and Land Development
12 M. M. Musthapha Higher Education
13 Shanmugam Jegathgeeswaran National Integration
14 Edward Gunasekera Railways
15 Naomal Perera Fisheries
16 Sarath Kumara Gunarathna Aviation
17 M. T. Hassan Ali Supplementary Crops Development
18 K. Abdul Baiz Provincial Councils
19 M. C. Mohamed Faisal Scientific Affairs