Piyush Goyal loses Railways, gains textiles
PremiumWhile Piyush Goyal lost the Railways ministry portfolio to technocrat Ashwini Vaishnaw, he has retained the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal has been given the charge of Ministry of Textiles in the big cabinet reshuffle and expansion by the Narendra Modi government on Wednesday.
While Goyal lost the Railways ministry portfolio to technocrat Ashwini Vaishnaw, he has retained the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. Smriti Irani was earlier the textiles minister. Irani, however, retained her portfolio as the Minister of Women and Child Development.
MORE FROM THIS SECTIONSee All
Anupriya Singh Patel, member of Parliament from Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh has been appointed as the second minister of state (MoS) in the Commerce and industry ministry. Som Prakash, member of Parliament from Hoshiarpur retained his MoS portfolio in the ministry.
With great potential for garments exports at a time government is eyeing $400 billion shipments in FY22, the textile ministry portfolio is believed to empower Goyal to establish harmony with commerce and industry ministry. It will also help Goyal to synergise export incentive scheme Rebate of State and Central Levies and Taxes (RoSCTL) for textile products and Remission of Duties or Taxes on Export Products for other products, both of which have been under works for several months now.
The ministry of consumer affairs, food and public distribution has recently put out the draft e-commerce rules for consumer protection. The rules propose to limit so-called ‘flash sales’ of goods and services by e-commerce companies by proposing to ban back-to-back sales that limit customer choice, increase prices and do not provide a level playing field. Goyal last week said that once the draft rules are finalized, the government will issue necessary clarification in its existing FDI policy for e-commerce which comes under the ministry of commerce and industry. Retaining both portfolios will help Goyal synergise e-commerce policy in India.
Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!!