Piyush Goyal given additional charge of late Paswan’s ministry

New Delhi, Oct 09: Union Minister Piyush Goyal has been assigned additional charge of the Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution ministry in the wake of Ram Vilas Paswan's death. The portfolio was held by Paswan.

Earlier, President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to Union minister and LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan at his residence here on Friday.

Senior BJP leaders including Amit Shah, JP Nadda, Giriraj Singh, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Rajnath Singh, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Ramdas Athavale, Jitendra Kumar, also paid tributes to the departed leader.

Others who offered condolences and prayers at Paswan's residence included BJP MPs Pragya Thakur and Ramesh Bidhuri, NCP President Sharad Pawar, RJD MP Misa Bharti and senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor.

Paswan, one of the most prominent Dalit leaders of the country who had been a part of several governments headed by rival parties, died on Thursday at the age of 74.

The Lok Janshakti Party founder and Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution was admitted to a private hospital here for several weeks and had recently undergone a heart operation.

A meeting of the Union Cabinet has been convened on Friday to express condolences over the minister's demise.

The Union Home Ministry has announced the national flag will fly at half mast in Delhi and capitals of all states and union territories on Friday as a mark of respect to Paswan.

A state funeral will also be accorded to the Union minister.

Paswan's body will be flown to the party's office in Patna in afternoon and cremation will take place there on Saturday.