World News | Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe Appoints Five Interim Ministers to Handle Key Portfolios Handled by Him While He is in India

Colombo, Jul 20 (PTI) Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe before leaving on a crucial visit to India on Thursday appointed five interim ministers to temporarily handle key portfolios like defence and finance that he held along with top office.

The president on Thursday embarked on a two-day official visit to India for talks with the country's top leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to further advance and consolidate the bilateral relations.

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Those ministers assigned the president's duties include State Minister for Defence Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon as the acting Defence Minister; State Minister for Finance Shehan Semasinghe as the acting Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilisation, and National Policy; State Minister for Investment Promotion Dilum Amunugama appointed as the acting Minister for Investment Promotion; State Minister for Technology Kanaka Herath as the acting Minister of Technology; Minister of State for Social Empowerment Anupa Pasqual assigned dual roles as the acting Minister of Women, Child Affairs, and Social Empowerment.

Wickremesinghe also holds all these portfolios apart from the president's post.

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The move ensures the seamless functioning of the government and continues the momentum of critical initiatives during the president's time away from the cash-strapped island nation, the Colombo Page reported.

In a separate development, Chandani Wijewardena was appointed as the acting Presidential Secretary, marking the first time in Sri Lanka's history that a woman assumed this esteemed position.

The appointment comes as the President's Secretary, Saman Ekanayake, accompanies Wickremesinghe to India.

Her appointment represents a significant milestone for gender equality and serves as an inspiration for women across the country, said the President's Media Division.

This will be 74-year-old Wickremesinghe's first visit to India after being appointed President of the cash-strapped country last year following the ouster of Gotabaya Rajapaksa in a people's uprising in July.

Wickremesinghe, who took over the reins of the government at a time when the country was in anarchy, with long gas and fuel queues, has emphasised good relations with India and made it a major plank of his foreign policy.

Sri Lanka was hit by an unprecedented financial crisis in 2022, the worst since its independence from Britain in 1948, due to a severe paucity of foreign exchange reserves. India offered Sri Lanka an economic lifeline with dedicated credit lines for fuel and essential items.

In 2022, India provided about USD 4 billion in assistance to Colombo to tide over its dire economic situation.

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