File photo of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
New Delhi:
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will miss a meeting of finance ministers from the Group of 20 nations in Australia next week as he is still in hospital undergoing treatment, the finance ministry said on Wednesday.
Mr Jaitley was admitted to a private hospital in New Delhi on September 1 for surgery to manage a long-standing diabetic condition, and had originally been expected to leave after a few days.
The 61-year-old former lawyer is one of the most powerful figures in the government formed in May by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, holding responsibility for both finance and defence.
"The minister is partly working from the hospital and checking official files," said finance ministry spokesman D.S. Malik.
Delivering his maiden budget in July, Mr Jaitley had to take a break half-way through and gave the second part of his address seated.
Over the next few months , the government hopes to roll out key economic reforms, such as a proposed nationwide General Sales Tax, or GST.
The GST would unify India's 29 states into a common market for the first time, cutting red tape while at the same time broadening the government's tax base. Economists estimate it could add 2 percentage points to India's economy.
Mr Jaitley will be represented at the Sept. 20-21 meeting of G20 finance ministers in Cairns, Australia, by Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who also holds the post of deputy finance minister.
The Group of 20 is the world's main intergovernmental policy forum, bringing together developed and emerging nations that between them account for nine-tenths of global economic output.
Mr Jaitley was admitted to a private hospital in New Delhi on September 1 for surgery to manage a long-standing diabetic condition, and had originally been expected to leave after a few days.
The 61-year-old former lawyer is one of the most powerful figures in the government formed in May by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, holding responsibility for both finance and defence.
"The minister is partly working from the hospital and checking official files," said finance ministry spokesman D.S. Malik.
Delivering his maiden budget in July, Mr Jaitley had to take a break half-way through and gave the second part of his address seated.
Over the next few months , the government hopes to roll out key economic reforms, such as a proposed nationwide General Sales Tax, or GST.
The GST would unify India's 29 states into a common market for the first time, cutting red tape while at the same time broadening the government's tax base. Economists estimate it could add 2 percentage points to India's economy.
Mr Jaitley will be represented at the Sept. 20-21 meeting of G20 finance ministers in Cairns, Australia, by Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who also holds the post of deputy finance minister.
The Group of 20 is the world's main intergovernmental policy forum, bringing together developed and emerging nations that between them account for nine-tenths of global economic output.
© Thomson Reuters 2014
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