After handing over letters of appointment to new Secretaries to Ministries at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (January 19), President Sirisena said it is the responsibility of the new secretaries to ensure the pledge of good governance of the new administration is implemented in full.

Public service is a service to serve the people, and it is your duty to ensure that the people visiting the government offices receive a proper hearing and a speedy service, he told the secretaries. If the public is not satisfied and people will have to go to government offices several times to get their work done, it is not a public service. It is your responsibility to ensure that this would not happen in your ministries, he said.

President Maithripala Sirisena emphasized the imperative need to reduce the unnecessary public expenditure and waste. “The newspapers are full of advertisements by different ministries. That should be stopped. It is not necessary to spend public funds to promote personalities. Furthermore, I believe that over exposure is bad for a good image. Over promotion of a valuable product will result in decline of its value,” he said.

The President instructed the top public servants to deal with all provincial councils equability and with cordiality. Ensure that the fruits of development are equally distributed to all nine provinces, he said.

He urged the secretaries to take effective steps to end corrupt practices and malpractices in the Public Sector and asked them to use their knowledge and experience to serve the government and the people.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Presidential Secretary P B Abeykoon also participated in the ceremony.

Secretaries to the new Ministries are as follows:

1. Defence Mr. B.M.U.D. Basnayake
2. Mahaweli Development & Environment Mr. N. Rupasinghe
3. Policy Planning, Economic Affairs,Child,Youth & Cultural Affairs Prof. K.Liyanage
4. Public Order, Disaster Management & Christian Affairs Mr. T.M.K.B.Tennakoon
5. Home Affairs & Fisheries Mr. S.D.A.B.Borelessa
6. Food Security Mr. P.H.J.B. Sugathadasa
7. Foreign Affairs Mrs. C. Wagishwara
8. Buddha Sasana, Public Administration, Provincial Councils, Local Government & Democratic Governance Mr. J. Dadallage
9. Plantation Industries Mr. A.M. Jayawickrema
10. Finance Dr. R.H.S.Samaratunga
11. Urban Development, Water Supply & Drainage Mr.K. Hettiarachchi
12. Power & Energy Dr. .M.S. Batagoda
13. Health & Indigenous Medicine Dr. D.M.R.B. Dissanayake
14. Irrigation & Agriculture Mr.B. Wijayarathne
15. Highways, Higher Eucation & Investment Promotion Mr. U.R.Seneviratne
16. Lands Dr. I.H.K Mahanama
17. Housing & Samurdhi Mr. P.H.L. Wimalasiri Perera
18. Justice & Labour Relations Ms.W.F. Kamalini de Silva
19. Mass Media & Parliamentary Affairs Mr. K.Paranavithana
20. Tourism & Sports Mr.M.I.M Rafeek
21. Ports, Shipping & Aviation Mr.L.P. Jayampathy
22. Industry & Commerce Mr. W.H.Karunarathne
23. Plantation Infrastructure Development Mr.V.Sivagnanasothy
24. Resettlement, Reconstruction & Hindu Religious Affairs Mrs. R. Nadarajapillai
25. Education Mr. Upali Marasinghe
26. Foreign Employment Mr. G.S.Vithanage
27. Social Services,Welfare & Livestock Ms. D.K.R. Ekanayake
28. Women’s Affairs Mrs. W.S. Karunaratne
29. Muslim Religious Affairs & Posts Mr. Abdul Majeed
30. State Ministry of Culture Ms. H.D.S. Malkanthi
31. State Ministry of Education Mr. D. Nanayakkara
32. State Ministry of Aviation Mr. D. Saranapala
33. State Ministry of Power & Energy Mr. H.M.B.C. Herath
34. State Ministry of Fisheries Mr. Nimal Dharmasiri Hettiarachchi
35. State Ministry of Children’s Affairs Mr. S.S. Miyanawala
36. State Ministry of Higher Education Mr. P. Ranepura
37. State Ministry of Defence Mr. A.P.G. Kithsiri
38. State Ministry Plantation Industries Ms. R. Wijialudchumi
39. State Ministry of Youth Affairs Ms. N.D. Sugathadasa