Close X
Thursday, November 28, 2024
ADVT 
India

Nirmala Sitharaman, First Full-Time Woman Defence Minister, Takes Oath

Darpan News Desk IANS, 31 May, 2019 07:35 PM

    Nirmala Sitharaman today took oath as a Union minister at the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Ms Sitharaman was the first woman to be appointed full-time Defence Minister of India in September 2017.


    Sixty-year-old Sitharaman, a Rajya Sabha member, is the second woman to take charge of the crucial ministry after Indira Gandhi who, as the Prime Minister, also held the portfolio in the seventies.


    One of BJP's chief spokespersons before its ascent to power, Ms Sitharaman is an alumnus of Jawaharlal Nehru University and London School of Economics.


    As the Defence Minister, Ms Sitharaman was credited for expediting the decision making process relating to defence procurement. She constituted a Defence Planning Committee to formulate an "action plan" to effectively deal with various security challenges facing the nation.


    However, her biggest moment came when India carried out air strikes on a terrorist training camp in Pakistan's Balakot, seen as major policy shift in the country's efforts to deal with cross-border terrorism.


    She took on the opposition head on with her fiery defence of the Rafale fighter jet deal in Parliament.


    She has also focused on boosting domestic defence production besides taking steps to implement the ambitious "strategic partnership" model with several countries like the United States and Russia.


    Under the new model, select Indian private firms will be roped in to build military platforms like submarines and fighter jets in India in partnership with foreign defence majors.


    Ms Sitharaman was born on August 18, 1959 in the temple town of Madurai in Tamil Nadu. She did her schooling and her graduation in Economics, from Seethalakshmi Ramaswamy College in Tiruchirapalli.


    She went on to do her Masters in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.


    Ms Sitharaman served as an assistant to Economist in the Agricultural Engineers Association in London. She subsequently worked as Senior Manager (Research and Analysis) with Price Waterhouse, London.


    During this time she also briefly worked with BBC World Service.


    On her return to India, she served as Deputy Director of the Centre for Public Policy Studies at Hyderabad.


    Ms Sitharaman joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2008, and was made a member of the National Executive. She was nominated as party spokesperson in March 2010 and has been a full time party worker since then.


    She was inducted in the Union Cabinet on May 26, 2014 as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Commerce and Industry.

     

    MORE India ARTICLES

    Punjab CM Hints At Changing Sidhu's Portfolio

    In an interview with a news channel, the Chief Minister said the urban vote bank had been the backbone of the Congress in Punjab but Sidhu's failure to do any development work had impacted the party, which had performed well this time in the rural areas.

    Punjab CM Hints At Changing Sidhu's Portfolio

    Badal Couple Wins Bathinda, Ferozepur Seats In Punjab

    Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal and her husband and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Badal on Thursday won their respective parliamentary seats in Punjab.

    Badal Couple Wins Bathinda, Ferozepur Seats In Punjab

    Kejriwal Congratulates Modi, Seeks To Work Together For Delhi

    Kejriwal Congratulates Modi, Seeks To Work Together For Delhi
    Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and said that he looks forward to work together with him for the city's people.

    Kejriwal Congratulates Modi, Seeks To Work Together For Delhi

    Rahul Gandhi Concedes Defeat; Congratulates Modi, Most Dynasties Face People's Wrath In LS Polls

    Asked if he would resign taking moral responsibility for his party’s defeat and his personal loss from Amethi, Gandhi said the Congress Working Committee will soon meet and decide that.

    Rahul Gandhi Concedes Defeat; Congratulates Modi, Most Dynasties Face People's Wrath In LS Polls

    Keep Your Word & Quit: Tweeple Tell Navjot Singh Sidhu On Rahul Gandhi's Loss In Amethi

    As Congress President Rahul Gandhi lost the prestigious Amethi seat to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Smriti Irani, one of the biggest setbacks of the Lok Sabha polls, the chorus grew on Twitter for resignation of Pubjan Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu.

    Keep Your Word & Quit: Tweeple Tell Navjot Singh Sidhu On Rahul Gandhi's Loss In Amethi

    Smriti Zubin Irani Shatters Congress Castle At Amethi, Rahul Gandhi Concedes Defeat

    Amethi, on Thursday, snapped its 39 years long relationship with the Gandhi family -- a relationship that was filled with emotions and nurtured with emotions.

    Smriti Zubin Irani Shatters Congress Castle At Amethi, Rahul Gandhi Concedes Defeat