Mr Basil Rajapaksa took his oaths as Minister of Finance before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat today (July 08). With the reshuffle of ministerial portfolios, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was sworn-in as Minister of Economic Policies and Planning.
With the resignation of National List Member of Parliament Jayantha Ketagoda, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam submitted Mr Basil Rajapaksa’s name to the Elections Commission to fill the vacancy. Accordingly, the Elections Commission issued the gazette to notify appointment of Mr Basil Rajapaksa as an MP yesterday.
In 2007 Mr Basil Rajapaksa joined the parliament for the first time as a National List Member. In 2010, he contested and got elected as an MP representing the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and was appointed Minister of Economic Development.
Mr. Basil Rajapaksa spearheaded a number of government initiatives in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and played a major role as a member of the Committee to Combat COVID 19. He is also the Head of the Presidential Task Force on Economic Revival and Poverty Alleviation and the Presidential Task Force on Creating a Green Sri Lanka with Sustainable Solutions to Climate Change.
Minister Namal Rajapaksa, Secretary to the President, P B Jayasundara, Senior Advisor, Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary to the Prime Minister, Gamini Senarath and Mrs Pushpa Rajapaksa were also present during the swearing-in ceremony.