Arun Jaitley Returns To Take Charge Of The Finance Ministry

Arun Jaitley, who stepped aside as Finance Minister in mid-May to undergo a kidney transplant, has resumed duty as Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs. Jaitley, 65, had stopped attending office at the beginning of April.

“The President of India, as advised by the Prime Minister, has directed to assign the portfolios of the Minister of Finance and Minister of Corporate Affairs to Arun Jaitley,” an official notification issued today said.

Jaitley had undergone a renal transplant operation on May 14. On that day, the charge of his ministry was given to Minister for Railways and Coal Piyush Goyal on an interim basis.

News agency ANI tweeted a picture of Jaitley arriving at Finance Ministry office to take charge

#Delhi: Arun Jaitley arrives at Ministry of Finance to resume charge as Finance Minister pic.twitter.com/xPjFPTt8YJ — ANI (@ANI) August 23, 2018

Since his surgery he has been staying in controlled environment as per the doctors advice. He, however, attended the Rajya Sabha for the election of Deputy Chairman on August 9. This was his first public appearance in over four months.

In his interim charge, Goyal had chaired two meetings of the GST Council — the highest decision-making body of the new indirect tax regime. These included the one in which sanitary napkins were exempt from any tax levy.

Jaitley has been the Finance Minister since the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government came to power in May 2014. He had also held additional charge of Ministry of Defence as well as that of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. He is one of the very key members of the union cabinet.