President blocks new ministers
By Shelani Perera
President Chandrika Kumaratunga has sent back the list of seven new non-Cabinet Ministers and one deputy minister to the Prime Minister seeking clarification on the functions, powers and subjects to be delegated to them, saying portfolios were over-lapping existing ministries and functions.

Presidential Secretariat sources said the list had been sent back on Friday amidst confusion of the functions of the new ministers as they could overlap with the existing ones.

The government on Thursday sent the names of seven MPs nominated by the Prime Minister as non Cabinet ministers and one Deputy Minister for approval by the President. The subjects assigned to the new ministers are new, but the functions overlap with those of existing ones.

The seven who have been nominated as non-Cabinet ministers are Lucky Jayawardene as Minister of Deeds, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene as Minister for Foreign Employment Welfare, Saratchandra Rajakaruna as Minister of Disaster Management, Hemakumara Nanayakkara as Minister for Agriculture Research, D. M. Bandaranaike as Minister for Development of Paddy Cultivation, Ranjith Madduma Bandara as Minister of Tourism Development and Keheliya Rambukwella as Minister for Science and Technology. The new Deputy Minister nominated is Jayasundara Wijekoon who crossed over from the PA to the UNF last year.

If the seven new non-Cabinet ministers are eventually appointed the total number of Cabinet and non Cabinet ministers will be 66. All non cabinet ministers are entitled to the same perks and salaries that a minister gets, the only difference being they don't attend cabinet meetings.

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