Piyush Vedprakash Goyal was born on 13 June 1964 is a politician, chartered accountant and cabinet minister of the Government of India having portfolios such as Minister of Textiles, Minister of Commerce and Industry and Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
He was elevated to the Cabinet Minister position on 3 September 2017. Currently, a Member of Parliament for Rajya Sabha from the state of Maharashtra, he is also the current Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha.
Piyush Goyal Personal Life
Goyal was born in Mumbai to Chandrakanta Goyal and Ved Prakash Goyal. 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.
Piyush Goyal Education
Piyush Goyal is Chartered Accountant, and he did Law in Mumbai University. He did his schooling from the Don Bosco High School, Mumbai. In 1984, he pursued B.Com from the H.R. College Of Commerce & Economics in Mumbai. In 1991, he completed his Bachelor of Laws Degree from the Government Law College, Mumbai. After that, he took admission in the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) in New Delhi and was the All India second rank holder. He has been a part of many Leadership programs at universities like Yale, Oxford, and Princeton. Goyal holds an F.C.A. Certificate; it’s a certificate given to Chartered Accountants after completing 5 years of practice.
Piyush Goyal Career
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.
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).
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.[6] 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
Minister of State for Coal, Power, New and Renewable Energy (2014–17)
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.
Minister of Railways (2017 – 2021)
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.[19] Under his leadership, Indian Railways established a “Zero Accident” railway system and have seen no accidents for the past 22 months.
Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution (2020 – present)
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. 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
Minister Goyal Family & Wife, Son
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 Bain (consulting).
Piyush Goyal Father
His father, Ved Prakash Goyal, was an Indian politician, and a Union Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government. His mother, Chandrakanta Goyal, is a former BJP MLA from Mumbai.
Awards
He was awarded the 2018 Carnot Prize for distinguished contributions to energy policy for his work in village electrification by the University of Pennsylvania’s Kleinman Center for Energy Policy.
Controversy
On 4 April 2018, Shirdi Industries, whose chairman was Piyush Goyal until July 2010, and then headed by his wife, Seema Goyal, had unpaid loans of 650 Crores INR. In 2015, the company was declared as an NPA, and its loans were written off. Many leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, raised questions over it and demanded an enquiry on why Goyal’s company was written off as a non-performing asset.
Piyush Goyal Car Collection
Piyush Goyal has two cars registered to his name, a Toyota Corolla and a Toyota Camry Hybrid.
Assets & Properties
Cash: Rs. 3.43 Lacs
Bank Deposits: Rs. 48 Lacs
Jewellery: 1350 gm Gold, 2 kg Silver, 295.51 CT Diamonds, 2 18 carat Gold watches; worth Rs. 2.03 Crores
Residential Apartment: Worth 3.28 Crores INR in Mumbai
Piyush Goyal Salary & Net Worth
Salary: Rs. 1 Lac + Other Allowances (as a Cabinet Minister)
Net Worth: Rs. 95.37 Crores (as of 2019)
Piyush Goyal Caste
Piyush Goyal belongs to a Vaishya (Bania) Family.
Some Interesting Facts About Piyush Goyal
- Piyush Goyal is often referred to as PM Narendra Modi’s troubleshooter; as whenever there’s a problem, Piyush Goyal is always consulted.
- For the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, Goyal was in-charge of the advertisements and social media campaigns of the BJP.
- He is a philanthropist. Piyush, along with his wife, participates in social work and both are associated with many NGO’s.
- He was the minister-in-waiting for the then President of the United States, Barack Obama, during the latter’s India visit in January 2015.
- As the Minister of State with Independent Charge for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy, he had reportedly electrified 13,134 villages out of total 18,452 by April 2017.
- Piyush Goyal was a very bright student during his younger days. He was the all-India second rank holder in his CA exam.
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