NEW DELHI: The Finance Ministry will organise a conference 'Arun Jaitley Memorial Lecture' on March 20 next year to pay tribute to the former finance minister.
Jaitley, who as the finance minister ushered in India's biggest tax reforms and was the chief trouble-shooter of the BJP and the Modi government, had died on August 24 after battling multiple health issues for the last several months.
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"The @FinMinIndia to hold Shri. Arun Jaitley Memorial Lecture. The first of this annual program will be on Friday, 20 March 2020. An Economists Conclave shall be held the next day. Eminent economists shall be invited. Grateful to @PMOIndia for consenting to launch this event," Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in a tweet on Saturday.
"Honoured to announce this on Shri Jaitley's birthday, today. Thankful to Shri. @narendramodi to have come up with this thought and to have given it a structure. The Lecture and the Conclave shall hopefully be a fitting tribute to Shri. Arun Jaitley and his inspiring leadership," she added.
From being the BJP government's key political strategist to managing the crucial finance portfolio, Jaitley wore many hats.
A moderate, Jaitley has friends across the political spectrum and is one of India's most articulate and influential leaders who brought civility to public discourse, irrespective of whether one agreed with his position or not.