Union minister Arun Jaitley will formally return to head the finance and corporate affairs ministry, an official communique from the President stated on Thursday. "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 Arun Jaitley," the statement from the Rashtrapati Bhavan read.
Sixty five-year-old Arun Jaitley had been on a break since April and underwent kidney transplantation on May 14. Union minister Piyush Goyal was assigned the charge of finance ministry in Jaitley's absence. As expected, the President has re-assigned the finance and corporate affairs portfolios to Jaitley on Thursday.
Despite being out of action, Jaitley was ever active through social media, voicing his opinions and defending various government policies. From Rafale deal to the political drama that unfolded after the Karnataka Assembly elections to judicial appointments, Jaitley had defended everything for the ruling government even when he was not formally in the office.
Notably, he had even attended Parliament earlier this month to participate in the voting process to elect the new Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha.
Earlier in 2014, Jaitley had undergone a bariatric surgery to treat weight gain that he suffered because of a prevailing diabetic condition, according to news agency PTI.