Former Minister of Sri Lanka, P. Dayaratna, has passed away. He represented the Ampara District and held several key ministerial portfolios during his long political career.
Dayaratna began his professional life in 1965 as an electrical engineer at the Department of Government Electrical Undertakings, which later became the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB). While working at the CEB, he was elected President of the Mandala Mahaviharaya Buddhist Society in Ampara in 1967 and, under the guidance of Ven. Dodamduwe Dhammaratana Nayaka Thera, completed the construction of the Cetiya within two years.
He first contested the Ampara seat at the 1970 General Election but was defeated by Somaratne Senarath, a prominent leftist politician. However, with the support of then UNP Leader J.R. Jayewardene, Dayaratna contested again in 1977 and secured victory with a majority of 8,000 votes, marking the first-ever win for the UNP in the Ampara electorate.
In October 1978, he was appointed District Minister for Ampara, and in 1981 he became Deputy Minister of Power and Energy, later serving as the Minister of Power and Energy in 1987. In February 1989, he was given the portfolio of Lands, Irrigation, and Mahaweli Development, and in April 1991, he was appointed Minister of Rehabilitation, Reconstruction, and Social Welfare.
Dayaratna married Deepthika Dayaratna on June 2, 1971, and they have three children.
He was widely respected for his contributions to rural development, irrigation, and infrastructure projects in the Eastern Province. Funeral arrangements will be announced in due course.
