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Non-SLAS officers posted as Ministry Secretaries
By Shelani Perera
Among the 35 Ministry Secretaries appointed by President Chandrika Kumaratunga last week are officers who are not in the Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS). The non-SLAS officers have been appointed to key Ministries including the Finance, Education, Highways and Defence Ministries.

Of the 35 Secretaries, 3 Secretaries who had retired have been called back. The three Secretaries are Tilak Ranaviraja as Secretary, Ministry of Public Security, Law and Order, L.D.C. Herath as Secretary, Ministry of Defence and Mrs. M S. Rajapakse as Secretary, Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Social Welfare.

Six Secretaries have been retained from the last Government which had 63 Ministries. Of the six Secretaries only two retain the same ministry. Mr. S.C. Manapperuma who was Secretary, Ministry of Public Administration and Home Affairs has been re-appointed to the same Ministry while Mr. Mahinda Gammampilla who was Secretary, Ministry of Employment and Labour is Secretary, Ministry of Labour Relations and Foreign Employment.

Former Secretary to Western Region Development Ministry S. Amarasekera has been appointed Secretary, Ministry of Highways. Former Secretary, Ministry of Tourism Dr. P. Ramanujam has been appointed Secretary, Ministry of Plantation Community Infrastructure Development. Former Secretary to Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Thosapala Hewage has been appointed Secretary, Ministry of Post and Telecommunications and Upcountry Development. Former Secretary, Ministry of Urban Public Utilities Ariyaratne Hewage has been appointed Secretary, Ministry of Ports and Aviation Services. Meanwhile SLASA President S Ranugge told The Sunday Times that the selection of 13 non-SLAS officers is not a major issue as some officials had been appointed Secretaries in the People's Alliance Government which came into power in 2000.

' Having 13 non-SLAS officers now is not too bad when compared to the previous years when there were more non-SLAS officers' he said. However, among the 13 officers are persons with experience in their relevant fields.Among them are Foreign Secretary H.M.G.S. Palihakkara who has been in the Foreign Service.

The 13 non-SLAS officers who were appointed as Secretaries are Dr. P.B. Jayasundara to Ministry of Finance, Mr. S. Amarasekera to Ministry of Highways, Dr. P Ramanujam to Ministry of Plantation Community Infrastruture Development, Mr. C Malliyadda to Ministry of Post and Telecommunications and Upcountry Development, Dr. Tara de Mel to Ministry of Education, Dr. U Vidanapathirana to Ministry of Industres, Tourism and Investment Promotion, Mr. L.D.C Herath to Ministry of Defence, Mrs. M.S. Rajapakse to Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Social Welfare, Mrs. S.M. Karunaratne to Ministry of Housing and Construction Industry, Eastern Province Education and Irrigation Development, Mr. H.M.G.S. Palihakkara to Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Professor Dayantha Wijesekera to Ministry of Skills Development, Vocational and Technical Education, Dr. D.S. Jayaweera to Ministry of Transport, Mr. K Mahanandan to Ministry of Agriculture, Marketing Development, Hindu Affairs and Tamil Language and Vocational Training Schools (North) and Mrs. Malkanthi Wickremasinghe to Ministry of Constitutional Reforms.

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