Cabinet of Sri Lanka

Council of ministers that form the central government of Sri Lanka

This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (December 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

Cabinet of Sri Lanka

Flag of Sri Lanka

Emblem of Sri Lanka

Agency overview
Formed| 16 October 1947; 77 years ago (1947-10-16)
Type| Highest executive body of the Government of Sri Lanka
Jurisdiction| Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Headquarters| Colombo
Agency executive|

* Anura Kumara Dissanayake, President of Sri Lanka

Child agency|

* Ministries of the Sri Lanka Government

Website| www.gov.lk
Cabinet Office
This article is part of a series on the

Politics of
Sri Lanka

Constitution

* Amendments
* Law
* Human rights
* Taxation

* * *

Previous Constitutions

* 1931
* 1947
* 1972

Executive

President of Sri Lanka (10th)

* Anura Kumara Dissanayake

* * *

Ministerial portfolios

* Defence
* Finance, Planning and
Economic Development
* Digital Economy

* * *

Administration

* Dissanayake I
* Dissanayake II

* * *

* Presidential Secretariat

Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (16th)

* Harini Amarasuriya

* * *

Ministerial portfolios

* Education, Higher Education and
Vocational Education

* * *

* Prime Minister's Office

Cabinet of Sri Lanka

* List of Cabinets
* Ministers
* Ministries
* Cabinet Office

* * *

* National Security Council

Legislature

Parliament of Sri Lanka (17th)

* * *

* Speaker (23rd)

* Jagath Wickramaratne

* * *

* Deputy Speaker and
Chairman of Committees

* Rizvie Salih

* * *

* Deputy Chairperson of Committees

* Hemali Weerasekara

* * *

* Leader of the Opposition

* Sajith Premadasa

* * *

* Leader of the House

* Bimal Rathnayake

* * *

* Chief Government Whip

* Nalinda Jayatissa

* * *

* Chief Opposition Whip

* Gayantha Karunathilaka

* * *

* Constitutional Council
* COPE
* Parliament Secretariat

Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs

* Cabinet Minister

* Ananda Wijepala

Judiciary

Supreme Court of Sri Lanka

* Chief Justice (49th)

* Padman Surasena

* * *

* Justices of the Supreme Court

Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka

* President of the Court (52nd)

* Nalin Abeysooriya

* * *

* Judges of the Court of Appeal

* * *

* High Court
* District Court
* Magistrate's Court
* Primary Court
* Labour Tribunal

* * *

* Judicial Service Commission
* Bar Association
* Law enforcement

Attorney General's Department

* Attorney General (49th)

* Parinda Ranasinghe Jr.

* * *

* Solicitor General

* Viraj Dayaratne

Ministry of Justice

* Cabinet Minister

* Harshana Nanayakkara

Elections

Election Commission

* Chairman

* R. M. A. L. Rathnayake

* * *

* Members

Elections

* Presidential

* 1982
* 1988
* 1994
* 1999
* 2005
* 2010
* 2015
* 2019
* 2024

* * *

* Parliamentary

* 1947
* 1952
* 1956
* 1960 (M)
* 1960 (J)
* 1965
* 1970
* 1977
* 1989
* 1994
* 2000
* 2001
* 2004
* 2010
* 2015
* 2020
* 2024
* Next

* * *

* Provincial council

* 1988 (NE)
* 1999
* 2004
* 2008/09
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014 (M)
* 2014 (S)

* * *

* Local government

* 1998
* 2009
* 2011
* 2018
* 2019 (E)
* 2024 (E)
* 2025

Referendum

* 1982

* * *

* Electoral districts
* Polling divisions
* Political parties

Administrative divisions

Provinces

* Central
* Eastern
* North Central
* Northern
* North Western
* Sabaragamuwa
* Southern
* Uva
* Western

Districts

* Ampara
* Anuradhapura
* Badulla
* Batticaloa
* Colombo
* Galle
* Gampaha
* Hambantota
* Jaffna
* Kalutara
* Kandy
* Kegalle
* Kilinochchi
* Kurunegala
* Mannar
* Matale
* Matara
* Monaragala
* Mullaitivu
* Nuwara Eliya
* Polonnaruwa
* Puttalam
* Ratnapura
* Trincomalee
* Vavuniya

* * *

* District Secretariats
* Divisional Secretariats
* Grama Niladhari divisions
* Cities
* Towns
* Capital city

Devolution

* 13th Amendment
* Indo-Sri Lanka Accord

* * *

* Provincial Councils
* Governors
* Chief Ministers
* Councillors

* * *

* Local government
* Municipal Councils
* Urban Councils
* Pradeshiya Sabhas

Ministry of Provincial Councils
and Local Government

* Cabinet Minister

* Chandana Abayarathna

Central Bank

* Governor

* Nandalal Weerasinghe

* * *

* Currency
* Banknotes
* Economy

Ministry of Finance

* Cabinet Minister

* Anura Kumara Dissanayake

Foreign relations

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

* Cabinet Minister

* Vijitha Herath

* * *

* Diplomatic missions of / in Sri Lanka
* Ambassadors and high commissioners

* * *

* Passports
* Visa requirements
* Visa policy

Related topics

* Sri Lanka
* History
* Flag
* Emblem
* Anthem
* Police
* Military

* Sri Lanka portal
* Politics portal

* Other countries

* v
* t
* e

In Sri Lanka, the Cabinet of Ministers is the council of senior ministers responsible and answerable to the Parliament of Sri Lanka. The President is a member of the cabinet and its head.[1]

The Dissanayake cabinet is the incumbent central government of Sri Lanka led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

## Background

[edit]

The first Cabinet of Ministers of Ceylon in 1947

See also: List of Ceylonese executive councils

The Executive Council of Ceylon was the Executive Council created in British Ceylon by the British colonial administration on the recommendations of the Colebrooke-Cameron Commission along with the Legislative Council of Ceylon, as the legislative body, on 13 March 1833.

At its creation the Executive Council was headed by the Governor, along with five members appointed by the Governor. These five members were officials who held the posts of the Colonial Secretary, the Attorney General, the Auditor-General, the Treasurer and the General Officer Commanding, Ceylon. The Council exercised executive power and advised the governor. As a result of the First Manning Reforms three non-officials were elected to the executive council.

With enactment of the new constitution of the Dominion of Ceylon in 1947 the Executive Council was replaced by a National Cabinet.

## Constitutional basis

[edit]

As per the Sri Lankan Constitution, the President is a member of and head of the cabinet.[1] The president appoints as Prime Minister, a Member of Parliament who has the confidence of parliament.[1] Other ministers of the cabinet are appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister.[2] The president may appoint himself to any ministry he chooses.[2] According to the constitution the president must be the Minister of Defence.[3] The President also appoints, in consultation with the Prime Minister, non-cabinet ministers (state ministers, project ministers) and Deputy ministers.[4][5]

## Powers and functions

[edit]

Constitutionally, the Cabinet of Ministers charged with the direction and control of the Government of the Republic and is collectively responsible and answerable to Parliament. Cabinet ministers may table cabinet papers.

## Meetings

[edit]

The cabinet meets on a regular basis, usually weekly on a Tuesday to discuss the most important issues of government policy. The president typically chairs the meeting and sets the agenda. All cabinet meetings are held behind closed doors and the minutes are kept confidential. The cabinet meets at the Old Parliament Building in Colombo.

## Committees

[edit]

A cabinet committee is a subset of the larger Cabinet, consisting of a number of ministers who have responsibility in related areas of policy.[6]

## Administration

[edit]

The Cabinet office is located in the Republic Building and is headed by the Secretary to the Cabinet, appointed by the President.

## Privileges of office

[edit]

### Salary

[edit]

A cabinet minister would receive a salary of Rs. 140,000, which was having been increased from 65,000 from January 2018 and is paid monthly from the respective ministry budget.[7] In addition, since all ministers are members of parliament they are entitled to allowances and benefits of parliamentarians.[8]

### Official residence and office

[edit]

It had been the practice for Cabinet ministers to be allocated an official residence, usually from 31 government bungalows, which were Class “A” type quarters built by the British Colonial Government of Ceylon along Bullers Road (now Bauddhaloka Mawatha) in the 1930s to house senior government officers. These mansions have a large drawing room, dining room, office room, and four large bedrooms. Since the 1980s these were allocated to ministers as their official residences due to security threats and the surrounding area, including part of Bauddhaloka Mawatha was closed to the public. Managed by the Ministry of Public Administration, the National People's Power government as stated in 2024, these bungalows will not be issued to ministers or state officials.[9] President Dissanayake has stated that ministers will not be given houses in Colombo in the future.[10]

### Personal staff

[edit]

Each Cabinet minister has an office and personal staff of 15 paid for by their ministry which includes a Private Secretary, a Coordinating Secretary, a Press Secretary, and a Public Relations Officer.[11]

### Travel

[edit]

Each cabinet minister is entitled to two vehicles, which includes an official vehicle and a security vehicle provided and maintained by their ministry. For domestic air travel, helicopters from the No. 4 (VVIP/VIP) Helicopter Squadron of the Sri Lanka Air Force are charted by the ministry.

### Security

[edit]

Traditionally, security for the ministers has been provided by the Sri Lanka Police. During emergencies military units have been allocated to bolster security to certain ministers based on threat levels. Currently, the Ministerial Security Division is in charge of security of ministers.

### Order of precedence

[edit]

In the Sri Lankan order of precedence, the cabinet ministers are placed above the former presidents but below the provincial governors (within their respective province).

## Incumbent cabinet

[edit]

Further information: Second Dissanayake cabinet

## Lists of former cabinets

[edit]

Main article: List of Sri Lankan cabinets

## See also

[edit]

* List of ministries of Sri Lanka
* Ministers of the Sri Lanka Government
* Cabinet Office (Sri Lanka)
* List of female cabinet ministers of Sri Lanka

## References

[edit]

* "Government Ministers". Policy Research & Information Unit, Presidential Secretariat, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 4 December 2003. Retrieved 21 July 2008.

1. ^ a b c "THE CONSTITUTION OF THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF SRI LANKA - Article 43". LawNet.[permanent dead link]
2. ^ a b "THE CONSTITUTION OF THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF SRI LANKA - Article 44". LawNet.[permanent dead link]
3. ^ "Ranil works out peaceful pre-dawn transition of power with Mahinda". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 11 January 2015.
4. ^ "THE CONSTITUTION OF THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF SRI LANKA - Article 45". LawNet.[permanent dead link]
5. ^ "THE CONSTITUTION OF THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF SRI LANKA - Article 46". LawNet.[permanent dead link]
6. ^ "Committees". cabinetoffice.gov.lk. Cabinet Office. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
7. ^ Salaries of ministers likely to be increased?
8. ^ Of Ministers’ Salaries And Parliamentary Perks
9. ^ Bandara, Kelum. "No more Govt bungalows for Ministers". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
10. ^ "Ministers will not be given houses in Colombo: President". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
11. ^ "Government sets limits for ministerial staff, vehicles and expenses". dailymirror. Retrieved 24 January 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* Office of the Cabinet of Ministers, Sri Lanka

* v
* t
* e

Sri Lanka topics

Overviews|

* Sri Lankans
* Outline
* Bibliography
* Timeline
* Years
* 2025

History|

| Periods|

* Prehistory
* Pre-Anuradhapura period
* Anuradhapura period
* Polonnaruwa period
* Transitional period
* Kandyan period
* British Ceylon period
* Sri Lanka (1948–present)

|

Epochs|

* Mahāvaṃsa
* Vijaya
* Tambapanni
* Anuradhapura
* Chola conquest of Anuradhapura
* Polonnaruwa
* Jaffna
* Dambadeniya
* Gampola
* Kotte
* Crisis of the Sixteenth Century
* Sitawaka
* Kandy
* Portuguese Ceylon
* Dutch Ceylon
* British Ceylon
* Kandyan Wars
* Uva Rebellion
* Matale rebellion
* Independence movement
* Dominion of Ceylon
* Civil war
* Aragalaya

Topics|

* Chronicles
* Monarchs
* Demographic
* Economic
* Education
* Military
* Sexual Minorities

Government|

| Law|

* Constitution
* Constitutional Council

|

Executive|

* President
* Executive Office
* Ministers
* Cabinet / Ministries
* Administrative Service
* National Security Council
* Law enforcement

Judiciary|

* Supreme Court
* Court of appeal
* High Courts
* District courts
* Magistrate's Courts
* Primary Courts
* Labour Tribunal

Legislature|

* Parliament
* Prime Minister
* Office
* Speaker
* Deputy speaker and chairman of committees
* Deputy Chairman of Committees
* Leader of the House
* Leader of the Opposition
* Chief Government Whip
* Chief Opposition Whip
* Secretaries-General
* 15th Parliament
* Members

National security|

* Armed Forces
* Air Force
* Army
* Navy
* Coast Guard
* Intelligence
* State Intelligence Service
* Directorate of Military Intelligence
* Criminal Investigation Department
* Sri Lanka Police Service

Devolution|

* Provincial governments
* Local governments
* Municipal councils
* Urban councils
* Pradeshiya Sabha
* Wards

Politics|

* Capital city
* Electoral districts
* Polling divisions
* Elections
* Presidential
* Parliamentary
* Foreign relations
* Parties
* Sri Lanka Freedom Party
* United National Party
* Scandals

Geography|

* Administrative divisions
* Provinces
* Districts
* Divisional Secretariats
* Grama Niladhari divisions
* Cities
* Towns

* Ecoregions
* Environment
* Extreme points
* Exclusive economic zone
* Islands
* Mountains
* Pidurutalagala
* Central Highlands
* Hanthana Mountain Range
* Knuckles Mountain Range
* National parks
* Protected areas
* Rivers
* Mahaweli
* Malvathu
* Kelani
* Kalu
* Gin
* Waterfalls
* Wildlife

Economy|

* Agriculture
* Banking
* Central Bank
* GovPay
* Communications
* Companies
* Energy
* Information technology
* Public debt
* Rupee
* Science and technology
* Stock Exchange
* Taxation
* Trade
* Transport
* Unemployment
* Welfare

* Industries
* Apparel
* Beer
* Cinnamon
* Cocoa
* Coconut
* Coffee
* Gems
* Graphite
* Rice
* Rubber
* Sugar
* Tea
* Tourism

Society|

| Topics|

* Birth
* Demographics
* Women
* Sexual Minorities
* Education
* Health
* Languages
* Sinhala
* Tamil
* Media
* Mass media
* Public holidays
* Religion
* Social class
* World Heritage Sites

|

Culture|

* Architecture
* Art
* Cinema
* National Film Corporation
* Cuisine
* Dance
* Fashion
* Flag
* Folklore
* Literature
* Music
* National symbols
* Philosophy
* Radio
* Sport
* Traditional games
* Angampora
* Cheena di
* Television
* Theatre

Issues|

* Capital punishment
* Crime
* Disability
* Gender inequality
* Human rights
* Immigration
* International rankings
* LGBT history
* LGBT rights
* Poverty
* Terrorism

* Category
* Portal

* v
* t
* e

* Sri Lankan cabinets
* List

* D. S. Senanayake
* Dudley Senanayake I
* Kotelawala
* S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike
* Dahanayake
* Dudley Senanayake II
* Bandaranaike I
* Dudley Senanayake III
* Bandaranaike II
* Jayewardene I
* II
* III
* IV
* Premadasa I
* II
* Wijetunga I
* II
* Kumaratunga I
* II
* III
* IV
* Mahinda Rajapaksa I
* II
* III
* IV
* Sirisena I
* II
* III
* IV
* Gotabaya Rajapaksa I
* II
* III
* IV
* Wickremesinghe
* Dissanayake I
* II

* v
* t
* e

National cabinets of Asia

Sovereign states|

* Afghanistan
* Armenia
* Azerbaijan
* Bahrain
* Bangladesh
* Bhutan
* Brunei
* Cambodia
* China
* Cyprus
* Egypt
* Georgia
* India
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Iraq
* Israel
* Japan
* Jordan
* Kazakhstan
* North Korea
* South Korea
* Kuwait
* Kyrgyzstan
* Laos
* Lebanon
* Malaysia
* Maldives
* Mongolia
* Myanmar
* Nepal
* Oman
* Pakistan
* Philippines
* Qatar
* Russia
* Saudi Arabia
* Singapore
* Sri Lanka
* Syria
* Tajikistan
* Thailand
* Timor-Leste (East Timor)
* Turkey
* Turkmenistan
* United Arab Emirates
* Uzbekistan
* Vietnam
* Yemen

States with
limited recognition|

* Abkhazia
* Northern Cyprus
* Palestine
* South Ossetia
* Taiwan

Dependencies and
other territories|

* British Indian Ocean Territory
* Christmas Island
* Cocos (Keeling) Islands
* Hong Kong
* Macau

* Category
* Asia portal

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template