President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has taken steps to remove some of the scope and functions that were under the Ministry of Industry and place them under the Ministry of Environment.
Accordingly, the Ministry of Environment has been entrusted with the task of “exploiting the mineral resources currently considered to be present underground and in the ocean using modern high technology to strengthen the country’s manufacturing process” which had hitherto belonged to the Ministry of Industries.
Sri Lanka Climate Fund (Pvt) Ltd and Ceylon Mineral Sands Company, which were under the Ministry of Industries, have also been transferred to the Ministry of Environment.
An Extraordinary Gazette Notification has been issued in this regard.
Following the removal of Wimal Weerawansa from the post of Minister of Industries, S. B. Dissanayake was appointed by the president as the new Minister.