India’s finance minister hospitalised in America

India’s finance minister Arun Jaitley, is in the United States for medical treatment and is in good health and recovering rapidly, according to the man appointed to act for him.

Jaitley, who ran the finance ministry, would not be presenting the interim budget on Feb. 1, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The government has not commented on his medical condition.

But The Times of India said Jaitley underwent surgery at a hospital in New York on Tuesday.

He arrived the United States on 13 January and is being treated for cancer, according to the newspaper.

Jaitley unexpectedly left for the US.

66-year-old Jaitley had undergone a kidney transplant surgery on May 14, 2018, at AIIMS in India and had not travelled abroad since then until 13 January, according to New Indian Express.

He was earlier this month named the publicity head of the BJP for the upcoming general elections.

In Jaitley’s absence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appointed Piyush Goyal, the railways and coal minister, as interim finance minister.

(NAN)