(FE)
is likely to resume charge as the finance minister on next Monday, nearly three weeks after he relinquished the portfolio on January 23 to undergo treatment in the United States. Jaitley is also expected to chair the Goods and Service Tax Council meeting via video conferencing on Wednesday next week, government sources said.
In Jaitley’s absence, minister for railways and coal Piyush Goyal has been acting as the finance minister. Goyal presented the Interim Budget on February 1. “Delighted to be back home,” Jaitley tweeted on Saturday, on his return to the country.
Jaitley has been active on social media tweeting and writing Facebook posts and had also met reporters through a video call from New York and fielded questions after the Budget. He also wrote multiple posts defending the government on Rafale aircraft deal and dismissing accusations of conflict of interest against Comptroller and Auditor General.
