Piyush Goyal gets additional charge of Food Ministry after Ram Vilas Paswan’s demise

NEW DELHI

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal was on Friday given additional charge of the Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution ministry; a portfolio held by late Ram Vilas Paswan.

A Rashtrapati Bhavan communique on Friday said President Ram Nath Kovind, on the advice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, directed that Goyal be assigned the ministry in addition to his existing portfolios.

Paswan was one of India's most prominent Dalit leader an eight-time Lok Sabha MP who died on Thursday at the age of 74.

He was part of several BJP-led NDA and Congress-led UPA governments.