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Piyush Goyal

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Piyush Goyal
8th Union Minister of Commerce and Industry
Incumbent
Assumed office
30 May 2019
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
Preceded bySuresh Prabhu
Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
In office
8 October 2020 – 10 June 2024
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
Preceded byRam Vilas Paswan
Succeeded byPrahlad Joshi
Union Minister of Textiles
In office
7 July 2021 – 10 June 2024
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
Preceded bySmriti Irani
Succeeded byGiriraj Singh
28th Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha
In office
14 July 2021 – 4 June 2024
Deputy
RS ChairpersonVenkaiah Naidu
Jagdeep Dhankhar
Preceded byThawar Chand Gehlot
Succeeded byJ. P. Nadda
Indian Emissary to the G20 & G7
In office
7 September 2021 – 7 July 2022
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
Preceded bySuresh Prabhu
Succeeded byAmitabh Kant
Deputy Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha
In office
12 June 2019 – 13 July 2021
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
LeaderThawar Chand Gehlot
RS ChairpersonVenkaiah Naidu
Preceded byRavi Shankar Prasad
Succeeded byMukhtar Abbas Naqvi
Union Minister of Railways
In office
3 September 2017 – 7 July 2021
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
Preceded bySuresh Prabhu
Succeeded byAshwini Vaishnaw
Union Minister of Coal
In office
26 May 2014 – 31 May 2019
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
Preceded byShriprakash Jaiswal
Succeeded byPralhad Joshi
Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs
In office
14 May 2018 – 23 August 2018
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
In office
23 January 2019 – 15 February 2019
Preceded byArun Jaitley
Succeeded byArun Jaitley
Union Minister of Mines (Independent Charge)
In office
5 July 2016 – 3 September 2017
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
Preceded byNarendra Singh Tomar
Succeeded byNarendra Singh Tomar
Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy (Independent Charge)
In office
26 May 2014 – 3 September 2017
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
Preceded byFarooq Abdullah
Succeeded byRaj Kumar Singh
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
In office
5 July 2010 – 4 June 2024
Succeeded byDhairyashil Patil
ConstituencyMaharashtra
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
Incumbent
Assumed office
4 June 2024
Preceded byGopal Shetty
ConstituencyMumbai North, Maharashtra
Personal details
Born
Piyush Vedprakash Goyal

(1964-06-13) 13 June 1964 (age 60)[1]
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Political partyBharatiya Janata Party
Other political
affiliations		National Democratic Alliance
SpouseSeema Goyal
Children2
Parents
Residence(s)8, Teen Murti Marg, New Delhi, Delhi, India
Alma mater
Profession
Websitewww.piyushgoyal.in

Piyush Vedprakash Goyal (born 13 June 1964) is an Indian politician and chartered accountant who is serving as Minister of Commerce and Industry since 2019. He also served as Minister of Textiles and Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. He was elevated to the Cabinet Minister position on 3 September 2017. Formerly a Member of Parliament for Rajya Sabha from the state of Maharashtra, he is also the former Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha. Goyal was elected as member of 18th Lok Sabha Representing Mumbai North Lok Sabha constituency.

Earlier, he held the post of the National Treasurer of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He headed the BJP's Information Communication Campaign Committee where he oversaw the publicity and advertising campaign of the party including the social media outreach for the Indian General Elections 2014. Goyal has also held additional charge of Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs twice in 2018 and 2019. Earlier he was Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy (2014–2017), and Mines (2016–17).[2]

Goyal is the 2018 Carnot Prize Recipient for distinguished contributions to energy policy. He has been allocated the cabinet ministry for Narendra Modi-led NDA government in May 2019.

Early life

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Goyal was born in Mumbai to Chandrakanta Goyal and Ved Prakash Goyal.[3] His mother was a three-time Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Maharashtra and his father served as the Union Minister for shipping in the Third Vajpayee ministry from 2001 to 2003. His father also served as the National Treasurer of the BJP for over two decades.[4][5]

Piyush Goyal is Chartered Accountant and he did Law from Mumbai University.[5] He did his schooling from Don Bosco High School, Matunga.[6]

Career

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Goyal started his career as an investment banker and served on the board of India's largest commercial banks, the State Bank of India 2001–2004 and Bank of Baroda 2002–2004 as Government nominee.[7][5]

Goyal was a member of the Standing Committee on Finance and the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Defence. An active member of the Managing Committee of Indian Merchants Chamber, he is also involved with NGOs in diverse fields such as tribal education and welfare of the physically challenged (Jaipur Foot).[8][9]

During his 35-year-long political career, he has served on the National Executive and held several important positions in the BJP including the national treasurer.[5] He was also nominated by the Government of India to the Task Force for Interlinking of Rivers. He was the Dy. Campaign In-charge for the Parliament elections in 1991 and played a key role at the central level in all elections since 2004.[10][11]

Minister of State for Coal, Power, New and Renewable Energy (2014–17)

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Barack and Michelle Obama being welcomed by PM Modi and Minister Goyal
Minister Goyal along with PM Modi launching the National UJALA Programme for Street & Home Lighting

Goyal became the Minister of State for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy in the Modi government in 2014 and undertook multiple initiatives in his term. Under his tenure, India saw a proliferation of renewable energy through the world's largest renewable energy expansion program.[12] Ministry under him accelerated the mission to provide 24X7 reliable electricity to all households and pushed towards the adoption of clean energy. He introduced the Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) to revive debt-ridden power distribution companies and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) to improve India's energy access.

He initiated and completed the government program to electrify all the 18,000 remaining unelectrified villages of the country. He was awarded the 2018 Carnot Prize for distinguished contributions to energy policy and work in village electrification by the University of Pennsylvania's Kleinman Center for Energy Policy.[13] He also worked for energy efficiency in the country through the Unnat Jyoti by Affordable Lighting for All (UJALA) scheme and reduced the prices of LED bulbs to ₹38 (44¢ US) per piece from ₹310 (US$3.60) in 2014.[5] He revised the Government's target of 20 GW of solar power by 2022 to five times (i.e. 100 GW).[14] Along with this, he also helped the cash-strapped state power distribution companies to turn around.[15][16]

On 5 July 2016, during the second cabinet reshuffle of the Modi ministry, he was included in the cabinet and took over as the Minister of State for Mines (Independent charge) from Narendra Singh Tomar.[17]

Minister of Railways (2017 – 2021)

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Minister Goyal administering the Swachhata pledge, on the occasion of the "Swachhata Hi Sewa" Abhiyan at Old Delhi Railway Station
Minister Goyal releasing the souvenir at the inauguration of the International Conference on Green Initiatives & Railway Electrification

Goyal became the Minister of Railways on 3 September 2017 taking charge from Suresh Prabhu.[18] Under his leadership, Indian Railways established a "Zero Accident" railway system and have seen no accidents for the past 22 months.[19][verification needed] He started 'Plan Bee', a method to prevent elephants from approaching the railway lines. It involves setting up of devices near tracks, which emit the 'buzzing' sound of bees, saving elephants from train accidents.[20][21]

He launched the first indigenous semi-high speed train Vande Bharat Express between Delhi and Varanasi.[22][23] In all the mountain railways region of the country, Goyal introduced Vista-Dome coaches, in an attempt to allow the passengers to enjoy the scenery of the hilly terrains.[24][25] On 27 February 2019, Piyush Goyal announced a Railway Zone for Andhra Pradesh named South Coast Railway with Waltair Division in Andhra Pradesh along with Guntur, Guntakal and Vijayawada Divisions with the headquarters of the zone being in Visakhapatnam, according to the AP Reorganisation Act 2014.[26]

Goyal announced the 'Clone Train Scheme',[27] wherein it planned to run a clone train with the train of the same number, to help and provide relief to the waitlisted passengers over heavy passenger traffic routes.[citation needed] For fighting climate change and making plastic-free India, he announced that tea will be sold in environment friendly 'Kulhads' (earthen cups) in place of plastic cups at all railway stations in the country.[28][29]

From May through August 2018, he was temporarily given additional charge of Ministry of Finance during Arun Jaitley's absence for medical treatment. Goyal presented the 2019 Interim-Union budget of India in the Lok Sabha on 1 February 2019.[7]

Coronavirus Pandemic

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By taking advantage of the COVID-19 lockdown in India, the Indian Railways completed 200 key long pending projects.[30] These projects, according to the Railways officials, included three super critical projects with a combined length of 68 km, three critical projects with a combined length of 45 km, upgradation of the entire 389 km railway line from Jhajha in Bihar to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction in Uttar Pradesh and a new 82 km port connectivity line to Paradip.[31] During COVID pandemic in India, Goyal got Indian Railways to developed anti-COVID-19 coach to contain the spread of coronavirus.[32] This anti-COVID-19 coach had hands-free water tanks and flushes; copper-coated handles and locks.[33][34]

During the second wave of the pandemic in India, to overcome the scarcity of Oxygen, the railways under him decided to run Oxygen Express to transport medical oxygen as well as the oxygen cylinders. As of 7 May 2021, the Indian Railways ran "40 Oxygen Express with 161 tankers to deliver a record load of 2,511 metric tonnes of liquid medical oxygen."[35]

Minister of Commerce & Industry (2019 – present)

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Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province of South Korea and Goyal in 2023

In May 2019, Goyal continued at the Ministry of Railways and got the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.[36] He aims to discard restrictive States Government policies pertaining to License Raj, Land Permissions, Foreign Investment Proposals, and Environmental Clearances.[37] In a bid to systematise the onboarding process of retailers on e-commerce platforms, Goyal directed the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) to utilise the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) to set protocols for cataloging, vendor discovery and price discovery. Goyal aims to provide equal opportunities to all marketplace players to make optimum use of the e-commerce ecosystem in the larger interest of the country and its citizen.[38] Under Goyal's leadership in Jan 2021 India jumped 14 spots[39] in World Bank's Ease of Doing Business rankings taking India to 63rd spot amongst 190 countries.[40]

In a bid to Atmanirbhar Bharat, Goyal launched One District One Product (ODOP) initiative to fuel the economic growth and generate employment within India.[41] The objective of ODOP is to convert each district of India into an export hub by identifying products with export potential in the respective district.[42] Goyal inaugurated 'Prarambh' International Summit, an initiative by Startup India in New Delhi.[43]

Deputy Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha (2019 - 2021)

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In June 2019, he was appointed the Deputy Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha.[44]

Leader of the House (2021 - 4 June 2024)

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In July 2021, Goyal was appointed the Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha succeeding his colleague Thawar Chand Gehlot.[45]

Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution (2020 – present)

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Minister Goyal addressing the media

After the demise of Ram Vilas Paswan, he took over the additional charge of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs Food & Public Distribution on 9 October 2020.

After taking charge, Goyal announced the strengthening and modernising of the Food Corporation of India.[46] He also emphasised that the procurement system at Minimum support price (MSP) will continue and Food Corporation of India (FCI) will be committed to serving farmers.[47] To ensure that all the migrant labor community can draw their allotted ration anywhere in the country Goyal called for speedy implementation of One Nation One Ration Scheme.[48] At the 3rd Governing Council meeting of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Goyal directed to cut quality testing charges for MSMEs, Startups and Women Entrepreneurs.[49]

Goyal also directed the Department of Consumer Affairs to focus and ensure on quality and quantity of products, processes and services to the consumers by way of the BIS Act, 2016 and Legal Metrology Act, 2009.[50][51]

Electoral politics

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He was elected as the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from Maharashtra for the Rajya Sabha in 2010. He won as the BJP candidate for the Mumbai North constituency in the 2024 General Elections.[52]

Personal life

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He is married to Seema Goyal, an active social worker, and they have two children. His son Dhruv Goyal works at Evercore (Investment banking) while his daughter Radhika Goyal works at International Monetary Fund (Economist).[53][54][55][56]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Rajya Sabha-Members in Council of Minister". rajyasabha.nic.in. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Piyush Goyal Interim Finance Minister: Piyush Goyal named interim Finance & Corporate Affairs minister". The Economic Times. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  3. ^ "Rajya Sabha, Member of Parliament Profile". rajyasabha.nic.in. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  4. ^ "Minister of State (Independent Charge): Piyush Goyal", NDTV
  5. ^ a b c d e "Piyush Goyal: BJP's man for all seasons", Live Mint, 1 February 2019
  6. ^ Phadke, Manasi (1 February 2019). "In Mumbai's Sion, old neighbours recall Piyush Goyal the 'gentle & studious boy'". ThePrint.
  7. ^ a b "Arun Jaitley or Piyush Goyal: Who will be the next finance minister if Modi wins?", India Today, 21 May 2019
  8. ^ "Rajya Sabha, Member of Parliament Profile". Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  9. ^ "Railways portfolio big challenge for Piyush Goyal". Business Standard India. 3 September 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  10. ^ "Railways portfolio big challenge for Piyush Goyal". ABP Live. 3 September 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  11. ^ "Mix of old and new faces in Prime Minister Modi's NDA 2.0". Hindustan Times. 31 May 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  12. ^ "Piyush Goyal among seven Indians in 'World's 100 Most Influential People in Climate Policy for 2019'". Business Standard India. 21 March 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  13. ^ "Carnot Prize: Piyush Goyal receives carnot prize for policy contributions". The Economic Times. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  14. ^ "Round two of solar parks bidding soon", The Hindu, 7 June 2016
  15. ^ "Piyush Goyal: PM Narendra Modi's most trusted lieutenant – Photos-1". www.businesstoday.in. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  16. ^ Padmanabhan Anil, Gireesh Chandra (21 March 2016). "UDAY is a game changer: Piyush Goyal". Mint. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  17. ^ "No more a people ministry for Birender Singh, now the steel minister". Business Standard. 6 July 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  18. ^ "Modi Cabinet reshuffle: Full list of new council of ministers", The Times of India, 3 September 2017
  19. ^ "Piyush Goyal says no passenger death due to train accidents occurred in 22 mnths". Mint. 12 February 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  20. ^ "Plan Bee: How Indian Railways is saving elephants from train accidents". Business Standard India. 9 September 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  21. ^ "Indian Railways deploys 'Plan Bee' to ward off elephants from tracks, and 'it's a success'". The Indian Express. 9 September 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  22. ^ "India's First Semi High Speed Train, "Vande Bharat Express" to be flagged off by PM tomorrow". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  23. ^ "Train 18 Named 'Vande Bharat Express', To Run Between Delhi-Varanasi: Piyush Goyal". NDTV.com. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  24. ^ "All mountain railways in India to have vistadome coaches: Piyush Goyal". Live Mint. 8 March 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  25. ^ Rajaram, R. (9 March 2019). "Enjoy scenic Ooty in vista dome coaches, made in Tiruchi". The Hindu. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  26. ^ "Rail Minister Piyush Goyal announces new railway zone for Andhra Pradesh – South Coast Railway". Zee News. 27 February 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  27. ^ "Big relief for Indian Railways passengers! Special 'clone' trains soon for waitlisted passengers". Zee Business. 8 September 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  28. ^ "'Kulhad wali chai' to be sold at railway stations across India now". www.businesstoday.in. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  29. ^ "'Kulhads' to replace plastic tea cups at Indian Railway stations – Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  30. ^ "Railway finish 200 key pending projects, thanks to lockdown". Hindustan Times. 27 June 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  31. ^ "Railways rides lockdown, completes eight projects to boost capacity". www.msn.com. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  32. ^ "Indian Railways develops anti-Covid coach to prevent the spread of coronavirus! See salient features". The Financial Express. 10 November 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  33. ^ Bhandari, Shashwat (31 October 2020). "Railways creates anti-COVID coach to ensure safety of passengers: Details | Watch video". www.indiatvnews.com. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  34. ^ "Indian Railways creates POST COVID COACH to ensure safer journey". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  35. ^ "Oxygen Express ferries over 2,500 MT of load across India to battle Covid crisis". Hindustan Times. 6 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  36. ^ "PM Modi allocates portfolios. Full list of new ministers", Live Mint, 31 May 2019
  37. ^ Mishra, Asit Ranjan (10 August 2020). "India's import licensing requirements meant to ensure fair trade: Piyush Goyal". Live Mint. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  38. ^ Suneja, Kirtika. "Government set to develop protocols specific to e-commerce, aims at streamlining ecosystem". The Economic Times. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  39. ^ "India moves up 14 spots to 63 on World Bank's ease of doing business – ETCFO". Economic Times. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  40. ^ "Doing Business 2020" (PDF). World Bank. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  41. ^ "One District One Product Scheme". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  42. ^ "One District One Product: This could help in making India a Manufacturing Powerhouse". India CSR Network. 27 August 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  43. ^ "Shri Piyush Goyal inaugurates the 'Prarambh: Startup India International Summit'". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  44. ^ "Union Minister Piyush Goyal appointed Deputy Leader of House in Rajya Sabha". The Hindu. 12 June 2019. Retrieved 13 September 2020 – via www.thehindu.com.
  45. ^ "Piyush Goyal appointed Leader of House in Rajya Sabha". India Today.
  46. ^ "FCI to be strengthened, modernised in next 12 months; MSP system to continue: Piyush Goyal". The Economic Times. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  47. ^ "FCI to be strengthened, modernised in next 12 months; MSP system to continue: Piyush Goyal". The Economic Times. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  48. ^ "Government committed for the welfare of the farmers, migrant workers and consumers". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  49. ^ "Piyush Goyal asks BIS to cut quality testing charges for MSMEs, startups & women entrepreneurs – Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  50. ^ "BIS certifications: Government looks to ease compliance process". mint. 2 March 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  51. ^ "The Union Minister Shri Piyush Goyal directs BIS( Bureau of Indian Standards) to reduce testing fees for "MSME, Start Ups and Women Entrepreneurs" to encourage ease of doing business". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  52. ^ "Mumbai Lok Sabha elections 2024: Minister Piyush Goyal wins in maiden contest". The Economic Times. 4 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  53. ^ "Moments from the previous editions of ET Awards (2017 and 2018) – (Late) Finance Minister Arun Jaitley addresses the gathering at the ET Awards". The Economic Times. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  54. ^ "Piyush Goyal: All in a day's celebration: Piyush Goyal retains Railways, daughter graduates from Harvard". The Economic Times. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  55. ^ "Shri Piyush Goyal takes charge as Minister of Railways". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  56. ^ Dutta, Sanjay (26 January 2015). "Obama shares Harvard link with Modi's ministers India News". The Times of India. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
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