Modi Cabinet reshuffle: Piyush Goyal to take over Finance Ministry, Rajyavardhan Rathore gets I&B Ministry

In a cabinet reshuffle, Railways Minister Piyush Goyal has been handed the Finance Ministry portfolio in the absence of Arun Jaitley who underwent a successful kidney transplant on Monday.

Piyush Goyal, who was initially installed as Minister of Coal, Power and New and Renewable Energy, and then given the Railways Ministry in September 2017, will now hold the Finance, Railways and Coal portfolios simultaneously till Jaitley recovers.

READ | AIIMS Confirms Arun Jaitley's Kidney Transplant; Gives Update. Read Full Report Here

Meanwhile, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore who has been Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting since November 2014 will now get independent charge of the I&B Ministry while current I&B Minister Smriti Irani will remain Minister of Textiles.

SS Ahluwalia, the MoS in the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, meanwhile, will take charge of the department of electronics. 

Here are the changes:

• Piyush Goyal: Gets Finance Ministry, Corporate Affairs Ministry portfolios till Arun Jaitley recovers, in addition to his existing portfolios
• Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore: Gets independent charge as Minister of State of the I&B Ministry in place of current I&B Minister Smriti Irani
• SS Ahluwalia: To be relieved of his charge in the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation and to take up the portfolio of Minister of State in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
• Alphons Kannanthanam: To be relieved of charge of Minister of State in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

Here's the official statement announcing the changes: