Prasanna Ranatunga assumes duties
MP Prasanna Ranatunga, appointed as the Minister of Industrial Export and Investment Promotion, Tourism and Civil Aviation in the interim government, yesterday assumed his duties at the Ministry of Industrial Export and Investment Promotion premises (Formerly Ministry of Development Strategies and International Trade), World Trade Centre, West Tower, Level 25.
Various heads of state, dignitaries and distinguished guests were among those present at the special occasion.
Addressing the media, Ranatunga remarked that his assigned ministerial portfolios entailed challenging tasks ahead, especially the tourism sector, which saw a major downfall after the tragic Easter Sunday attacks.
“Not only did the tragic attacks cause our highly potent tourism industry to collapse, but it also drove away potential high-stakes investors to our country,” he said.
Sri Lanka’s growing and expanding tourism industry is one of the country’s biggest foreign exchange earners, which crashed after the Easter Sunday attacks, with a major drop in tourist arrivals and prompted economic instability. Ranatunga is tasked with reviving this potent industry within the next few months of the interim government’s term.
Meanwhile, Ranatunga went on to say that the government headed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa will forge ahead a secured and prosperous nation, and that professionals will be appointed to lead relevant institutions, establishing a strong and beneficial foundation free of corruption.
He further said that towards end-february, the interim government will be dispersed and his task at hand is to revive and strengthen his relevant ministries.