Our Correspondent / new Delhi
Prime minister Narendra Modi today made some major reshuffle in his cabinet assigning finance ministry to Piyush Goyal in addition to his ministry of Railways, while high profile Smirti Irani has been divested from ministry of Information and Broadcastin. Now she will hold only Textile ministry.
Goyal will hold the new assignment during the period of indisposition of Arun Jaitley, who was holding the portfolios of Minister of Finance and Minister of Corporate Affairs.
This is the second time that Irani has been moved from a key ministry. She was earlier shifted from the HRD Ministry to the relatively low-profile Textile Ministry. She remains the Textile Minister.
According to a president office communique, the President of India, as advised by the Prime Minister, has directed the following reallocation of portfolios amongst the members of the Union Council of Ministers:-
(i) 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.
(ii) Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore be assigned the independent charge as Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, in place of Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, presently Minister of Information and Broadcasting.
(iii) Shri S.S. Ahluwalia, Minister of State be relieved of the charge of Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation and assigned the portfolio of Ministry of State in the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology.
(iv) Shri Alphons Kannanthanam, Minister of State be relieved of the charge of Minister of State in the Ministry of Electronics