Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has been given additional charge of the Ministry of Finance & Corporate Affairs with immediate effect, read a communiqué from the Rashtrapati Bhavan. He will also retain his current portfolios of coal & Railways.
Arun Jaitley who is currently undergoing treatment at the US, has been designated as a minister without portfolio during the period of his indisposition or till such time when he is able to resume his work as the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Corporate Affairs.
Goyal was also given the additional charge of Finance Ministry last year when Arun Jaitley underwent a kidney transplant.
Piyush Goyal, a chartered account, replaced Suresh Prabhu as the railway minister after Prabhu offered to resign after a spate of train accidents.
In his previous role as the Power minister, he was successful in getting the state utilities to recast their debt and improve accountability and viability in transmission and tariffs.
Today's announcement can be seen as an indiacation of the fact that Arun Jaitley may not return to
India to present the interim Budget on February 1.
This is the communiqué from Rashtrapati Bhavan
The President of India, as advised by the Prime Minister, hereby directed that during the period of indisposition of Shri Arun Jaitley, Minister; the portfolios of Minister of Finance and Minister of Corporate Affairs held by him, be temporarily assigned to Shri Piyush Goyal, in addition to his existing portfolios.
Further, as advised by the Prime Minister, Shri Arun Jaitley be designated as Minister without portfolio during the period of his indisposition or till such time he is able to resume his work as Minister of Finance and Minister of Corporate Affairs.