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Sunday, February 22, 2026
TopicFinance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

Topic: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

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.

‘If anything happens to me, Nirmala to blame’: Somnath Bharti’s wife tells court in defamation case

Khadija Khan -
Lipika Mitra has told a Delhi court that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's remarks at a press conference had led to trauma, bullying of her children and electoral loss for her husband.

Budget 2026 allocates Rs 1,000 crore for IndiaAI Mission, pushes data centres and AI upskilling

Apoorva Mandhani -
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed AI integration in several sectors, from agriculture to the manufacture of assistive devices for Divyangjan or people with disabilities.

Budget cuts import costs of certain cancer & rare disease drugs. Why it offers little relief to patients

Sneha Richhariya -
Cancer imposes catastrophic health expenditure in India, with medicines constituting over 60% of out-of-pocket expenditure. Research shows wide price variations, limited cost containment.

Budget gives nuclear energy sector another fillip soon after SHANTI paved way for private players

Moushumi Das Gupta -
Budget has extended basic customs duty exemption on imports for nuclear power projects until 2035. while expanding this exemption to all nuclear plants irrespective of capacity.

How Sitharaman’s Khelo India Mission will change the sports sector in the country

Almina Khatoon -
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the development of modern sports infrastructure for training and competitions will be a key component of this mission.

Centre’s industry & investment promises for Northeast see muted push in Union Budget

Sourav Roy Barman -
2 years after UNNATI was unveiled to accelerate industry & jobs in the region, Budget offers limited funding, with only incremental support through tourism & agarwood farming.

Who gains, who loses in India’s $133 billion infrastructure push and derivatives tax hike?

Satviki Sanjay -
In her 90-minute speech Sunday, FM Sitharaman outlined steps to protect the economy amid continued 50% US tariffs, even as a trade deal remains elusive.

Rare earth corridor, zero customs duty on monazite: Budget’s push to counter China’s grip

Moushumi Das Gupta -
With supply strains under pressure, the Centre will support rare earth corridors in Odisha, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, while cutting the customs duty on monazite to zero from 2.5 percent.

What is CCUS technology and why did Sitharaman push for a Rs 20,000 crore investment?

Soumya Pillai -
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her Budget speech, proposed investing in the controversial CCUS technology as a way to reduce emissions.

High-speed rail, coconut push & a Kanjeevaram nod—Nirmala’s Budget pot for poll-bound states

Neelam Pandey -
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announces a slew of projects for the election-bound states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Assam.
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Opinion

Youth Congress, your foolish protest helped the Modi govt climb out of the AI summit hole

+TFP Vir Sanghvi -
In tactical terms, the shirtless protest was worse than a self-goal. Suddenly, the fiascos of the AI Summit were forgotten, and the Youth Congress’s disruption became the issue.

Why legal provisions are necessary to curb the power of trade unions: MH Mody

AI is officially ruining social media. It made brainrot boring

Economy

In the West, there’s anxiety. In India, optimism—Rishi Sunak says India poised to be leader in AI

Vrinda Tulsian -
On Wednesday, the former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was speaking in New Delhi at a Carnegie & Observer Research Foundation event on AI.

Defence

MoD, IAF agree on some exemptions to HAL for Tejas Mk1A, but no compromise on ‘must-have’ capabilities

Snehesh Alex Philip -
IAF is fine with accepting the aircraft with 'must-haves', even if some other steps remain pending, which may take at least another year, it is learnt.

National Interest

No country is ever fully sovereign. Cold War era taught India its real meaning

Shekhar Gupta -
India’s fraught neighbourhood places multiple constraints on its strategic choices. It leaves no time to take a deep breath, lean back and reset.

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