Ministry of Industries (Sri Lanka)
# Ministry of Industries (Sri Lanka)

The Ministry of Industries (Sinhala: කර්මාන්ත අමාත්‍යාංශය; Tamil: கைத்தொழில் அமைச்சு) is a cabinet ministry of the Government of Sri Lanka responsible for industry and commerce. The ministry is responsible for formulating and implementing national policy on industry and commerce and other subjects which come under its purview. The current Minister of Industries is Ramesh Pathirana. The ministry's secretary is Thilaka Jayasundara.

The biggest government controlled wholesale and retail chain known as the Lanka Sathosa falls under this ministry. The acronym SA-THO-SA is believed to be derived from the Sinhalese name "SAmoopakaara THOgaveladhaam SAngsthava", i.e., Cooperative Wholesale Establishment.

## Ministers

Ministers of Industry :

| Name | Party | Took office | Left office | Head of government | Ministerial title |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Peri Sundaram | | 1931 | 1935 | | Minister of Labour, Industry and Commerce |
| Claude Corea | | 1936 | 1947 | | Minister of Labour, Industry and Commerce |
| George E. de Silva | | 26 September 1947 | 1948 | D. S. Senanayake | Minister of Industries, Industrial Research and Fisheries |
| C. Sittampalam | Independent | 1948 | 1948 | D. S. Senanayake | Minister of Industries, Industrial Research and Fisheries |
| G. G. Ponnambalam | All Ceylon Tamil Congress | 3 September 1948 | | D. S. Senanayake | Minister of Industries, Industrial Research and Fisheries |
| G. G. Ponnambalam | All Ceylon Tamil Congress | 19 June 1952 | | Dudley Senanayake | Minister of Industries and Fisheries |
| G. G. Ponnambalam | All Ceylon Tamil Congress | | 22 October 1953 | John Kotelawala | Minister of Industries and Fisheries |
| Kanthiah Vaithianathan | | 1953 | 1953 | John Kotelawala | Minister of Industries, Housing and Social Services |
| William de Silva | Viplavakari Lanka Sama Samaja Party | | 18 May 1959 | S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike | Minister of Industries and Fisheries |
| W. J. C. Munasinha | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 9 June 1959 | | S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike | Minister of Industries and Fisheries |
| W. J. C. Munasinha | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | | | W. Dahanayake | Minister of Industries and Fisheries |
| Maithripala Senanayake | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 23 July 1960 | | Sirimavo Bandaranaike | Minister of Industries, Home and Cultural Affairs |
| Philip Gunawardena | Mahajana Eksath Peramuna | March 1965 | | Dudley Senanayake | Minister of Industries and Fisheries |
| T. B. Subasinghe | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | | 1 March 1977 | Sirimavo Bandaranaike | Minister of Industries and Scientific Affairs |
| Cyril Mathew | United National Party | 23 July 1977 | | J. R. Jayewardene | Minister of Industries and Scientific Affairs |
| Ranil Wickremesinghe | United National Party | 18 February 1989 | | Ranasinghe Premadasa | Minister of Industries |
| Ranil Wickremesinghe | United National Party | 30 March 1990 | | Ranasinghe Premadasa | Minister of Industries, Science and Technology |
| C. V. Gunaratne | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 19 August 1994 | | D. B. Wijetunga | Minister of Industrial Development |
| G. L. Peiris | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 19 October 2000 | | Chandrika Kumaratunga | Minister of Constitutional Affairs and Industrial Development |
| Ronnie de Mel | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 14 September 2001 | | Chandrika Kumaratunga | Minister of Trade, Industrial Development and Rural Industries |
| G. L. Peiris | United National Party | 12 December 2001 | | Chandrika Kumaratunga | Minister of Industrial Development |
| Anura Bandaranaike | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 10 April 2004 | | Chandrika Kumaratunga | Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment Promotion |
| Anura Bandaranaike | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 17 September 2004 | | Chandrika Kumaratunga | Minister of Industry and Investment Promotion |
| Sarath Amunugama | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 22 August 2005 | | Chandrika Kumaratunga | Minister of Industry and Investment Promotion |
| Kumara Welgama | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 28 January 2007 | | Mahinda Rajapaksa | Minister of Industrial Development |
| Risad Badhiutheen | All Ceylon Muslim Congress | 23 April 2010 | 22 December 2014 | Mahinda Rajapaksa | Minister of Industry and Commerce |
| Risad Badhiutheen | All Ceylon Muslim Congress | 12 January 2015 | | Maithripala Sirisena | Minister of Industry and Commerce |

## Secretaries

Industry Secretaries :

| Name | Took office | Title |
| - | - | - |
| Tilak Collure | 25 April 2010 | Industries and Commerce Secretary |
| Anura Siriwardana | 12 July 2012 | Industry and Commerce Secretary |
| S. S. Miyanawala | 19 January 2015 | Industries and Commerce Secretary |
| T. M. K. B. Tennekoon | 8 September 2015 | Industry and Commerce Affairs Secretary |
