The remains of the Late Hon. D. M. Jayaratne, Former Prime Minister will be kept Lying-in- State in the Assembly Hall of Parliament from 1.00 pm to 3.00 pm on Friday, 22ndNovember, 2019.All Members of Parliament, Former Members of Parliament, Government Officials, FamilyMembers, relations and friends and Former Staff Members of the Parliament Staff, whowishes to pay their last respects, are kindly requested to be present in Parliament on orbefore 12.30 p.m. on this day states Dammika Dasnayake Secretary General of Parliament.
Sri Lanka's 14th Prime Minister DM Jayaratne was first elected to Parliament in 1970. Afterthe inauguration of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party in Kandy in 1951 by the late Prime MinisterBandaranaike, DM Jayaratne joined the party as the 13th Member.He had his primary education at Doluwa Maha Vidyalaya and served as a teacher and a postmaster after passing the Higher Secondary School Certificate examination.He was appointed Minister of Land, Agriculture and Forestry by President Chandrika Kumaratunga, entering the cabinet for the first time. Subsequently Hon. Jayaratne held in several portfolios such as Agriculture, Food & Co-operatives, Postal, Telecommunication and Upcountry Development, Rural Economic Development, Plantation Industries, BuddhaSasana and Religious Affairs.
He served as the Prime Minister from 2010 to 2015 and served as a SLFP patron until his death.D.M. Jayaratne was a father of three children including the former Deputy Minister of Mahaweli Development and Environment, Anuradha Jayaratne.