Arun Jaitley Returns To Work As The Finance Minister

Arun Jaitley who was away for a kidney transplant has returned to work as the Finance Minister of India. On Thursday, the President Ram Nath Kovind directed the portfolios of the Finance Ministry be assigned to Mr. Jaitley.

A statement released by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said, "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 Shri Arun Jaitley.”

In Mr. Jaitley’s absence Railway Minister Piyush Goyal took over as interim Finance Minister. Mr. Jaitley underwent the surgery in May at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi.

Mr. Jaitley had tweeted earlier this year about his health condition. It read, "I am being treated for kidney related problems and certain infections that I have contracted. I am therefore currently working from controlled environment at home. The future course of my treatment would be determined by the doctors treating me.”

Mr. Goyal took over Jaitley’s responsibilities and chaired two of the Goods and Services Tax Council meetings. In the two meetings, the GST council finally decided to remove luxury tax on sanitary napkins after more than a year.