Pavithra Wanniarachchi


Pavithra Wanniarachchi is a Sri Lankan lawyer and politician. The current Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine, she is a Member of Parliament from the Ratnapura District.

Early life and education

Pavithra Wanniarachchi was born on 10 November 1964, as the eldest daughter of Dharmadasa Wanniarachchi and Podi Menike Weerasekera Wanniarachchi. Her father was a senior politician and was the former Governor of the Wayamba Province in 2003 before which he held the post of Deputy Minister Industries and Scientific Affairs. From 1967 to 1977 he represented the Palmadulla seat in the Parliament. He has also served as the Organizer of the Palmadulla seat for a long time. He was re-elected to Parliament in 2000 and in 2004 was appointed as the Governor of the North Western Province. She has one sister Prasanna Devi Wanniarachchi who is a lawyer.
Wanniarachchi had her primary education at Pelmadulla Mahinda Vidyalaya. She then entered Gankanda Central College and Anula Vidyalaya Nugegoda for her secondary Education. She was the Head Prefect, leader of the debating team, Member of the Western band and the Captain of the 1st Volley Ball Team of Anula Vidyalaya. She was the President of the Buddhist Association. She then entered Sri Lanka Law College in 1985 and in 1990 took oaths as an attorney at law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka.

Political career

In 1990 she entered politics on the invitation of the former Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike. In 1991 she was appointed as the chief organizer for Kalawana. She then became a member of the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council in 1993 and in 1994 she entered Parliament as an MP representing the Ratnapura District.
After entering politics, she has held many posts both in the local and central governments. In 1994 she held the post of Deputy Minister of Health, Highways, Social Services and Welfare and in 1998 the post of Deputy Minister of Health & Indigenous Medicine. In the year 2000 she was elected as the Deputy Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, the Leader of the Women’s wing of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and Minister of Plan and Implementation.
In 2002, while she was serving as the organiser of the Eheliyagoda seat for SLFP in 2008, she was appointed as the Chairman of the Commonwealth Youth Ministers Convention and also served as the Minister for Youth Affairs.
Between 2004 and 2015 she held many post while the SLFP lead coalition was in power. In 2004 she was appointed Minister of Samurdhi & Poverty Alleviation, 2007 Minister of Youth Affairs, 2010 she was appointed as the Minister of Cultural and National Heritage and later that year as the Minister of Technology and Atomic Research.
The periods between 2001 - 2004 and 2015 - 2019 she was an active member of the opposition of the Parliament.
From 2019 she was appointed as the Minister of Women & Child Affairs, Social Security, Health & Indigenous Medicine in government headed by the new President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

Post Held

Pavithra Wanniarachchi’s husband is Kanchana Jayaratne, who is the Chairman of the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council and also serves as her Private Secretary. She has two daughters.