Ajantha Perera

Ajantha Wijesinghe Perera (Sinhala: අජන්තා පෙරේරා) is a Sri Lankan academic, scientist, university lecturer, environmental activist and politician.[1] She is known for her efforts to end the garbage crisis in Sri Lanka and is nicknamed as Garbage Queen.[2] She founded the National Programme on Recycling of Solid Waste to solve the garbage crisis.[3][4]

Ajantha Perera
Born
1963
NationalitySri Lankan
EducationPhD
Alma materUniversity of Colombo
Occupation(s)Social activist, Scientist, Academic, EnvironmentalIst
Known forFounder of National Programme on the Recycling of Solid Waste
Political partySocialist Party of Sri Lanka (2019)
United National Party (2020 – present)

Early life and education

Ajantha Perera completed her higher studies in England and returned to Sri Lanka at the age of 23. She joined the University of Kelaniya as an assistant lecturer in Biochemistry, Physiology and Zoology. She joined the University of Colombo as a senior lecturer in Environmental Studies where she also completed her graduation.[5]

Career

Perera has worked as an expert with several ministries in Sri Lanka and in Fiji. She is currently working to make a recycling management strategy for solid waste in the country.[6] She took interest in politics in 2019 and contested for the Socialist Party of Sri Lanka at the 2019 Presidential Elections and received 27,572 votes claiming seventh spot among the candidates.[7][8]

She became the first female Presidential candidate to contest at the elections after 20 years.[9][10]

In February 2020, she joined the UNP party following an invitation suggested by the UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and insisted that her grandfather had also originally represented the party.[11] She also contested at the 2020 Sri Lankan parliamentary election representing the United National Party from the Colombo district.[12][13][14]

References
  1. "Dr. Ajantha Perera pledges a corruption-free nation | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  2. "Socialism is about giving power to the working class - Dr Ajantha Perera". Sunday Observer. 2019-10-12. Retrieved 2019-10-14.
  3. "Focus on having more women in politics, says Dr. Perera | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
  4. "Presidential candidates throw in their hats for the top job". Times Online - Daily Online Edition of The Sunday Times Sri Lanka. Retrieved 2019-10-14.
  5. "Plus". www.sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  6. "Ajantha Perera". Ashoka | Everyone a Changemaker. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  7. "ජනාධිපතිවරණයට ඉදිරිපත්වන කාන්තාව". 2019-08-28. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  8. "Presidential Election - 2019: Final Result - All Island". news.lk. Colombo, Sri Lanka: Department of Government Information. Archived from the original on 2019-11-17. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
  9. "ජනාධිපතිවරණයට ඉදිරිපත්වන කාන්තාව". 2019-08-28. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  10. "Women and politics | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  11. "Ajantha Perera: Former Presidential candidate joins UNP". CeylonToday. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
  12. "The UNP is a party with a history - Dr. Ajantha Perera". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
  13. "Dr. Ajantha joins UNP to contest General Election from Colombo". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 2020-02-28. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
  14. "Women nominees: Poor showing from major parties in run-up to Sri Lanka's polls". EconomyNext. 2020-07-24. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
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