Karunaratne Divulgane sworn-in as NCP Governor

COLOMBO: Veteran vocalist Karunaratne Divulgane was sworn-in as the Governor of the North Central Province, before President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees yesterday morning, states a media release by the President's Office yesterday.

Divulgane who received his basic education at the Divulgane Government School, entered politics as a progressive in the 70s. He joined the Raja Rata Sevaya of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation as an announcer and editor and was politically victimized in 1994.

The President expressed his delight in making this appointment to an artiste who is closely associated with the rural people and one who is capable of representing the down trodden working class.

The President further said that when on several occasions Divulgane met him, Divulgane talked not about the artistes, but about the problems of farmers in his village and that he was happy to appoint a man with proper understanding of the people's pulse, in the interest of the people.

Ministers Mangala Samaraweera and Maitripala Sirisena, former North Central Province Governor Dr. Jagath Balasooriya, Western Province Governor Alavi Mowlana, Ven. Rambukana Siddhartha Thera and a number of leading artistes attended the occasion.