Jaitley back as Finance Minister, resumes charge

New Delhi (IANS) Union Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday returned to duties as Finance Minister after medical treatment in the US and a presidential directive to assign him the portfolio.

"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," a Rashtrapati Bhavan communication stated.

Jaitley had to fly to the US for medical reasons and could not present his last Budget which was an Interim Budget though it was prepared under his guidance. His cabinet colleague Piyush Goyal had presented the Budget in Parliament.

Jaitley's immediate major enagagements would be to address the Central Board of Directors of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) meeting next week to brief the board about the Budget in its customary post-Budget meeting. 

In the morning, he attended a Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting that was said to have discussed the terror attack on Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama area.

Jaitley (66) had passed on temporary charge of the Finance Ministry and Corporate Affairs to Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on January 23 as he had to undergo medical treatment in the US.