Piyush Goyal appointed Leader of House in Rajya Sabha
New Delhi, Jun 14: BJP leader and Union Minister Piyush Goyal was on Wednesday appointed as the Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha, an elevation that makes him the face of the government in the upper house.
With the ruling BJP not having a majority in Rajya Sabha, Goyal will be tasked with navigating various political challenges in the House while delivering on the government's legislative agenda.
Announcing the appointment, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi congratulated Goyal.
"He has been entrusted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji with key responsibility. Wishing him continued vigour in the service to the nation," Joshi said.
Goyal, who was holding the responsibility of the Deputy Leader in the upper house, will succeed erstwhile Union Minister Thaawarchand Gahlot who has been appointed the governor of Karnataka.
His appointment marks a political elevation within the BJP as he will be on the post that was once held by party heavyweights like Jaswant Singh and Arun Jaitley.
Congratulating Goyal, Union Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted, "I am confident that Piyush bhai, with his dedication, abilities and energy, will become a strong voice for the BJP in Rajya Sabha" and strengthen the resolve to work for the welfare of the poor under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Goyal, 57, a two-time Rajya Sabha MP, has been holding the charge of several ministries -- Commerce and Industry, Food and Consumer Affairs, and Textiles.
Earlier he was the Minister of Railways and Coal (2017-19). He has also held the additional charge of the Ministry of Finance and Corporate Affairs twice in 2018 and 2019.
In 2014, he joined the Modi government as Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy (2014-2017), and Mines (2016-17).
Prior to joining the government, Goyal was the BJP's treasurer for four years. The party has been utilising his services in general elections since 1991 and all elections since 2004.
In the 2019 elections, Goyal was a member of the Manifesto and Publicity Committees.
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Karnataka to approach SC seeking permission to continue MGNREGA
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday decided to approach the Supreme Court seeking permission to continue implementation of MGNREGA in the state, contending that the Centre had repealed the rural employment guarantee law without consultation and failed to put in place any alternative mechanism under the VB-G RAM G Act.
Briefing reporters after the Cabinet meeting, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said the state would immediately move the apex court seeking permission to prepare and implement the annual action plan for rural employment works, while also challenging what it described as an infringement on the constitutional rights of states.
The parliament passed VB-G RAM G in December that replaces MGNREGA.
Patil explained that the Cabinet decided to approach the court seeking permission for the State Government to prepare an action plan in this regard. Since the Centre’s stand interferes with the constitutional rights of state governments, the Cabinet has also decided to challenge this issue before the appropriate court
“There are two points here. One is that they have come in the way of our constitutional right of providing the right to work. That has been halted, and, therefore, the State Government has decided to approach the Supreme Court. The second point is that the Government of India has not provided any alternative,” the Minister said.
The Central Government has not yet issued a notification to implement the VB-G RAM G Act, nor has it made any alternative arrangements and hence continuing Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is unavoidable in the public interest, the Minister said.
“Therefore, in the interest of the public, farmers and agricultural labourers, we must continue MGNREGA. For that purpose, the Cabinet has decided to approach the court seeking permission for the State Government to prepare the action plan for this year,” he added.
The Minister also said the Centre had only permitted continuation of pending and spillover MGNREGA works without releasing grants or announcing a fresh action plan.
“The Centre itself has said that pending, spillover and half-done MGNREGA works can continue. That means MGNREGA is actually still functioning in practice. But there is no new action plan,” he said.
Patil said the state had already passed a resolution on the issue, while Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had written to the Prime Minister and the Rural Development Minister had held discussions with Union Ministers.
Replying to questions, the minister said the state would move court “as immediately as possible.”
He clarified that the state was seeking permission to formulate and implement this year’s action plan under the existing framework.
“What we are asking the Supreme Court is to allow us to have the action plan for this year and implement it,” he said.
The Cabinet also held detailed discussions on the final report submitted by the State Education Policy Commission headed by former UGC chairman Professor Sukhadeo Thorat.
Patil said a Cabinet sub-committee would be constituted to examine the report and recommend measures for implementation.
“No decision has been taken yet. The Cabinet sub-committee will recommend what should be accepted and what should be modified,” he said.
He said the report comprised around eight volumes and covered issues relating to financial implications, human resources, curriculum reforms, deemed universities, unitary universities and newly established universities. The Chief Minister has been authorised to constitute the sub-committee.
The Cabinet also approved the Karnataka Motor Transport and Other Related Workers’ Social Security and Welfare Amendment Bill, 2026, transferring welfare administration of transport-related workers from the Labour Department to the Transport Department.
The Cabinet further approved establishment of three new industrial estates in Kalaburagi, Yadgir and Surpur under the Karnataka State Small Industries Development Corporation and Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board schemes at an estimated cost of Rs 200 crore.
The Cabinet also approved amendments to Karnataka Civil Services (General Recruitment) Rules, 2026, providing two per cent reservation in state civil services appointments for sportspersons.
