Arun Jaitley cancer treatment begins in New York, may miss budget 2019

New Delhi : Sadly, the Finance minister Arun Jaitley has been diagnosed with soft tissue cancer in his thigh, which may spread to body parts in a short while. As such he has already left for cancer treatment in New York. It is likely that Mr. Jaitely will miss the government’s interim budget, to be held before the Lok Sabha elections on February 1.

Mr. Arun Jaitley has developed another serious ailment for which he will likely undergo surgery in the United States. He is suffering from soft tissue cancer, a kind of tumour in his thigh which can spread to other parts of the body quickly.

Sources said that the decision to undergo surgery was a complicated one because Jaitley had undergone a kidney transplant last year. Any fresh surgery, accompanied by chemotherapy, would be a strain on the kidneys, which are still in the process of being accepted by his body.

Also, it has been reported that the finance minister has said he is going on personal leave for two weeks to New York.

Meanwhile, some people who have a little knowledge about the condition said that there was a possibility that the hospital would be unable to conduct the required surgery and discharge him quickly, given all the pre-existing complications post the kidney transplant.

As of now, it is not clear who will make the budget announcements in the absence of Jaitley. Last year, when he was on leave for his kidney transplant, railways and coal minister Piyush Goyal had assumed interim charge of the finance ministry.

The BJP led Modi government is gearing up for what could be a crucial vote-on-account. It is reportedly planning important pre-election measures such as a universal income transfer scheme for farmers on the lines of Rythu Bandhu in Telangana.

There is also discussion of interest-free bank loans to small farmers with the government bearing the interest burden and raising the exemption limit for income tax-payers.