Nirmala Sitharaman is an Indian politician with the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), and has served as Minister of Finance and Minister of Corporate Affairs since 2019 (this is as of March 2024). In the first Modi government, Sitharaman served as the Minister of Defence between 2017 and 2019, thereby becoming India’s second female defence minister and the second female finance minister after Indira Gandhi, and the first full-time female minister to hold each of those portfolios.
Sitharaman first joined the BJP in 2004 and was appointed party spokesperson six years later. She was first elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2014. While presenting her first budget, she made a statement by replacing the traditional budget briefcase with a ‘bahi-khata’ with the National Emblem to carry the speech and other documents.
With such exceptional command and control, it is fair to expect much better outcomes in all domains of governance, starting with the economy. Not glittering on the eve of the Budget. The Defence Secretary presented a glum picture of the system of procurement of major weapons systems. So many reports of poor quality construction for prestigious national projects. Manipur is no closer to harmony than when the troubles started. Many challenges in foreign policy, radiating outwards from South Asia.