UPDATE: Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Founder Basil Rajapaksa has assumed his new duties at the Ministry of Finance.

The founder of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Basil Rajapaksa has taken oaths as the Cabinet Minister of Finance this morning (July 08).

The Elections Commission yesterday (July 07) gazette Rajapaksa’s name for the SLPP MP seat left vacant with the resignation of former MP Jayantha Ketagoda.

With the revision of the scope of functions of ministries, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa took oaths as the Minister of Economic Policies and Implementation of Plans.

Accordingly, Basil Rajapaksa was sworn in as the Minister of Finance.

He took oaths before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat.

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.

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.