New Ministry of Technology to come under President Gotabaya
COLOMBO – President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will retain the newly gazetted Ministry of Technology portfolio, Minister of Mass Media, Keheliya Rambukwella, said on Tuesday (24).
The ministry is one of two new portfolios gazetted last week, the other being the Ministry of Public Security.
Rambukwella told reporters the ministries were created in order to allocate subjects previously held by the president when the Cabinet was restricted to 28 members.
He said a minister and secretary will soon be named for the Ministry of Public Security.
According to the gazette notification dated November 20, the Ministry of Technology will oversee the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL), the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA), the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT), Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), the Industrial Technology Institute, Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology (SLINTEC) and the National Science and Technology Commission (NASTEC). All techno parks, the Sri Lanka Standards Institute as well as the Department for Registration of Persons will also come under the purview of the ministry.
With the addition of the Ministry of Technology to his portfolio, President Rajapaksa will hold two Cabinet ministerial posts, the other being the Minister of Defence. Nearly 30 institutes including the Sri Lanka Investment Board and Colombo Port City Project are under his purview.
Meanwhile, the current State Minister for Provincial Councils and Local Government, Rtd. Admiral Sarath Weerasekara’s office said he will be appointed the new Minister of Public Security and will handle a host of subjects that are currently under the president’s overview.
According to the November 20 gazette, Weerasekara’s ministry will be tasked with “ensuring public safety while maintaining law and order by creating an environment suitable for all citizens to live freely.” Institutions that will come under its purview are the Sri Lanka Police, the Civil Security Department, the National Police Academy and the Department of Multipurpose Development Task Force.
-economynext.com