President Gotabaya Rajapaksa today stressed that ministerial portfolios are not “privileges” but “responsibilities”.
“The state ministerial portfolios have been allocated based on the areas which need development,” Rajapaksa said after swearing in a new set of State Ministers and Deputy Ministers this morning.
Thirty-five State Ministers and three Deputy Ministers took oaths before the President at the Presidential Secretariat today.
The President said he wanted to curtail the number of state ministers but had not done so in view of the huge workload outlined in his manifesto.
“Sometimes the ministries might not have big names. But they contain huge responsibilities,” he emphasised.
Mr. Rajapaksa reiterated his call to all cabinet ministers to assist state ministers in carrying out their duties.
He said ministerial portfolios could not be granted to all those who have huge voter bases, and those actively engaged in politics, due to certain limitations as set out in the constitution.
“Even without positions, I call upon parliamentarians to coordinate with the ministers and fulfil their responsibility,” the President said.
A Thai woman walking topless in Arugam Bay town has been arrested by the Police.
The UK government has unveiled a package of reforms to simplify imports from developing countries which allows for more garments manufactured in Sri Lanka to enter the UK tariff-free.
The Cabinet has approved a proposal for Sri Lankans overseas to apply for their passports through an online system via the Lankan diplomatic missions.
Villagers in Nirmalapura, Daluwa, Norochcholai today staged a protest over an incident where a group of Navy officials and sailors had assaulted a resident in the area over night, Police said.
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