President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has appointed G.M.R.D. Aponsu as the new Secretary to the Ministry of Energy, filling the vacancy left by Professor Udayanga Hemapala’s resignation earlier today.
Who is Aponsu?
Aponsu is a senior officer of the Sri Lanka Planning Service (SLPS) who most recently served as Senior Additional Secretary to the President for Finance and Economic Affairs. His appointment letter was handed over by Presidential Secretary Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake at the Presidential Secretariat on Thursday afternoon.
He brings extensive experience in national planning, public financial management, macroeconomic forecasting, development financing, fiscal analysis, and tax policy. During his tenure at the Presidential Secretariat, he headed the Finance and Economic Affairs Division, providing strategic policy guidance on economic governance and national development priorities.
Context
The appointment comes hours after Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody and Ministry Secretary Prof. Hemapala resigned to facilitate the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into coal procurement irregularities.
Notably, only the Secretary position has been filled — the Energy Minister portfolio itself remains vacant. Aponsu’s economics and finance background, rather than an energy-sector specialisation, suggests the government is prioritising fiscal governance at a ministry now under intense scrutiny from the CID and the newly gazetted coal commission.
