In a significant development, the portfolio of the Minister of Environment has now been placed under the direct purview of President Ranil Wickremesinghe. This decision was officially announced through a Gazette Extraordinary released on October 12, 2023, and it was issued by Presidential Secretary Saman Ekanayake.
The decision-making process leading to this change involved consultations with Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, in accordance with Article 44(3) of the Constitution, as stated in the official communique.
