Piyush Goyal presents his first Budget, starts with wishing Arun Jaitley

NEW DELHI: Finance minister Piyush Goyal started his maiden budget speech on Friday with wishing Union minister Arun Jaitley a speedy recovery and good health. Goyal presented the 2019-20 budget to Parliament, in the absence of Jaitley, who is currently in the United States for medical treatment.

"I join the house in wishing Jaitley a speedy recovery, a healthy and long life in the service of the nation," Goyal said. At the outset of his interim Budget presentation in the Lok Sabha, he said everyone misses Jaitley at this time.

This year's Budget is an interim one and last under the Narendra Modi government before going to the 2019 general elections.

Jaitley unexpectedly flew to the United States for, what officials in the finance ministry said, "medical checkup".

Sources, however, said he had gone to the US on January 13 and underwent surgery after being tested for soft tissue cancer. Doctors, they say, have advised him two weeks' rest.

Earlier, Goyal had also lauded Jaitley and said that he has ably held the stewardship of the finance ministry over the last five years, and under his leadership historic developments like the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) have taken place.

This, he added, has helped in 66-point jump in the ease of doing business ranking, made it easier to trade and made India one of the brightest spots in the world economy.