Shri Pankaj Chaudhary took charge as the Minister of State for Finance in his second consecutive term in the Ministry of Finance, in New Delhi, today.

The 59-year-old is serving his seventh term as a Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) and is elected from Maharajganj in Uttar Pradesh in the 18^th Lok Sabha.

After taking charge, Shri Chaudhary interacted with Finance Secretary Dr. T.V. Somanathan and other Secretaries of the Ministry of Finance besides Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India, briefly.

Active in public service for over three decades, Shri Chaudhary has also held the post of Deputy Mayor of Gorakhpur in the past. Shri Chaudhary is a graduate from Gorakhpur University.

Over the past many years, Shri Chaudhary has been a Member of many Parliamentary Committees, the notable ones being the Committee on Public Undertakings; Committee on Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS); Standing Committee on Science & Technology, Environment & Forests; Consultative Committee of Ministry of Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water and Sanitation; Standing Committee on Chemicals and Fertilizers; and Standing Committee on Railways.

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NB/KMN