Nirmala Sitharaman Explained

Nirmala Sitharaman
Office:Union Minister of Finance
Primeminister:Narendra Modi
Term Start:30 May 2019
Predecessor:Arun Jaitley
Office1:Union Minister of Corporate Affairs
Primeminister1:Narendra Modi
Term Start1:30 May 2019
Predecessor1:Arun Jaitley
Office2:Union Minister of Defence
Primeminister2:Narendra Modi
Term Start2:3 September 2017
Term End2:30 May 2019
Predecessor2:Arun Jaitley
Successor2:Rajnath Singh
Office3:Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry (Independent Charge)
Primeminister3:Narendra Modi
Term Start3:26 May 2014
Term End3:3 September 2017
Predecessor3:Anand Sharma
Successor3:Suresh Prabhu
Office4:Union Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs
Primeminister4:Narendra Modi
Term Start4:26 May 2014
Term End4:9 November 2014
Predecessor4:Shripad Naik (Finance)
Office established (Corporate Affairs)
Successor4:Jayant Sinha (Finance)
Arjun Ram Meghwal (Corporate Affairs)
Office5:Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
Term Start5:1 July 2016
Predecessor5:M. Venkaiah Naidu (BJP)
Constituency5:Karnataka
Term Start6:26 June 2014
Term End6:21 June 2016
Predecessor6:N. Janardhana Reddy (INC)
Successor6:Suresh Prabhu (BJP)
Constituency6:Andhra Pradesh
Birth Date:18 August 1959
Birth Place:Madurai, Madras State, India (present-day Tamil Nadu)
Party:Bharatiya Janata Party
Children:1
Alma Mater:Seethalakshmi Ramaswami College (BA)
Jawaharlal Nehru University (MA, MPhil)

Nirmala Sitharaman (born 18 August 1959)[1] is an Indian economist, politician and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) serving as the Minister of Finance and Minister of Corporate Affairs of the Government of India since 2019. She is a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament, representing Karnataka since 2016 and previously represented Andhra Pradesh from 2014 to 2016. Sitharaman previously served as the 28th Defence Minister from 2017 to 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. She served as junior minister in the Modi ministry between 2014 and 2017, holding successive positions, first for her dual appointment as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance and the Minister of State in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs from May to November 2014, and then as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry from May 2014 to September 2017, before being elevated to senior posts within the Union Cabinet.[2]

Sitharaman featured in the Forbes 2022 list of World's 100 most powerful women and was ranked 36.[3] In 2023, she was ranked 32nd in the Forbes 2023 list of World's 100 most powerful women.[4] Fortune named her the most powerful woman in India.[5] [6]

Early life and education

Nirmala Sitharaman was born in a Tamil Iyengar family[7] in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, to Savitri and Narayanan Sitharaman. She had her schooling from Sacred Heart Convent Anglo-Indian School,[8] Villupuram till primary level, and thereafter at Vidyodaya School in Chennai. She then studied at St. Philomena’s School, and at Holy Cross School in Tiruchirappalli.[9] She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Seethalakshmi Ramaswami College, Tiruchirapalli in 1980, Master of Arts degree in Economics and M.Phil. from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi in 1984.[10] [11] [12] She then enrolled for a Ph.D. program in Economics with a focus on Indo-Europe trade; but later left this program and moved to London (when her husband secured a scholarship in London School of Economics) because of which she was unable to complete her degree.[13]

Political career

Nirmala Sitharaman served as a member of the National Commission for Women from 2003 to 2005.[14]

Nirmala Sitharaman joined BJP in 2008. She was a national spokesperson of the party till 2014. In 2014, she was inducted into Narendra Modi's cabinet as a junior minister and was elected in June of that year as a Rajya Sabha Member from Andhra Pradesh.[15] [16]

In May 2016, she was one of the 12 candidates nominated by the BJP to contest the Rajya Sabha elections due on 11 June. She successfully contested her seat from Karnataka.[17]

She has served as the Defence Minister of India and headed the Balakot Air Strike carried out by the Indian Air Force in 2019. She is currently serving as the Minister of Finance and Corporate affairs of India and has presented five annual budgets of India .

Union Cabinet Minister

Union Defence Minister

On 3 September 2017, she was appointed as Minister of Defence, being only the second woman after Indira Gandhi to hold the post, but the first full-time female defence minister.[18]

Under her tenure, the army conducted the Balakot airstrike in retaliation to the 2019 Pulwama attack. The Indian army claimed that the operation had killed at least 170 JEM terrorists.[19] [20]

Union Finance Minister

On 31 May 2019, Nirmala Sitharaman was appointed as the finance and corporate affairs minister. She is India's first full-time female finance minister.[21] She presented her maiden budget in the Indian parliament on 5 July 2019.[22] Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2020–21 on 1 February 2020.[23] During the COVID-19 pandemic in India she was made in-charge of the COVID-19 Economic Response Task Force.[24] [25]

Under her tenure as the finance minister in 2022, India became the Fifth largest Economy in the world, and the GDP of the country was said to have seen massive growth positively with historical context.[26] [27]

In February 2024, she presented the Union budget for the record 6th time and matched it with Morarji Desai. She also became the first minister to present the budget in the New Parliament building of India.[28]

She was given the same cabinet posts after the Indian general election in June 2024.[29] [30]

Non-political career

Nirmala Sitharaman worked as a salesperson at Habitat, a home decor store in London's Regent Street.[31] She has served as an assistant to Economist in the Agricultural Engineers Association in the UK. During her stay in the UK, she has also served as a Senior Manager (R&D) for PWC and briefly at the BBC World Service.[32]

She has also served as a member of National Commission for Women.[33] In 2017, she was one of the founding directors of Pranava in Hyderabad.[34] [35] [36]

Awards and honors

The Jawaharlal Nehru University conferred her the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2019.[37] Forbes Magazine has ranked her 34th among the 100 most powerful women in the world in 2019.[38] Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Finance Minister wins the Business Reformer of the year award at The Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence 2021. In 2023, ranked at number 32, Sitharaman has made it to the list of Forbes Magazine's 100 most powerful women in the world for the fifth time in a row. In 2022, the minister was ranked at number 36 in the list, while she was in the 37th spot in 2021 and 41st in 2020 respectively.

Personal life

Sitharaman met her husband, economist and commentator Parakala Prabhakar, who is from Narsapuram, Andhra Pradesh, while studying at the Jawaharlal Nehru University.[39] While Nirmala leaned towards the BJP, her husband is from a Congress family.[40] They married in 1986, and have a daughter who previously worked for The Hindu and the Mint.[41] Prabhakar served as the communications advisor to the Government of Andhra Pradesh from 2014 to 2018.[42] [43] [44]

See also

External links

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Notes and References

  1. Web site: Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman . September 23, 2023 . Department of Defence Production . 1 . 25 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230325105449/https://www.ddpmod.gov.in/sites/default/files/nirmalaprofile(1).pdf . live .
  2. News: Deccan Chronicle: BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman gets NJR Rajya Sabha seat. 4 June 2014. 3 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170904030305/http://www.deccanchronicle.com/140604/nation-politics/article/bjp-leader-nirmala-sitharaman-gets-njr-rajya-sabha-seat. 4 September 2017. live.
  3. Web site: 2022-12-07 . Nirmala Sitharaman among 6 Indians on Forbes list of world's most powerful women . 2022-12-26 . Hindustan Times . en . 26 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221226151238/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/nirmala-sitharaman-among-6-indians-on-forbes-list-of-world-s-most-powerful-women-101670423879193.html . live .
  4. Web site: The World's Most Powerful Women 2023 . .
  5. Web site: India's Most Powerful Business Women in 2021 - Fortune India. 2022-02-18. www.fortuneindia.com. en. 8 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170908082917/http://www.fortuneindia.com/mpw. dead.
  6. Web site: Moulik Jain . India's MSME Sector: A New Dawn With Budget 2024'S Transformative Measures . 2 February 2024 . 2 February 2024 . en . CaptainBiz . 5 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240205060627/https://www.captainbiz.com/blogs/indias-msme-sector-a-new-dawn-with-budget-2024s-transformative-measures/ . live .
  7. News: A power couple whom AP looks up to. Times of India. 21 July 2014. 11 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210411001209/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/A-power-couple-whom-AP-looks-up-to/articleshow/38766320.cms. live.
  8. News: Rajagopalan . R . 2021-02-02 . On post-budget trip, Sitharaman to return to place where she nearly died . English . The Federal . 16 May 2023 . 16 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230516192213/https://thefederal.com/budget-2021/finance-minister-nirmala-sitharamans-job-isnt-over-with-the-presentation-of-union-budget-in-parliament/ . live .
  9. News: Phadnis. Aditi. The rise and rise of Nirmala Sitharaman: From spokesperson to defence minister. Business Standard. 4 September 2017. 6 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170906121736/http://www.business-standard.com/article/politics/rise-of-nirmala-sitharaman-from-spokesperson-to-defence-minister-117090400030_1.html. 6 September 2017. live.
  10. News: Nirmala Sitharaman, the pride of Tiruchi. Krishnamoorthy. R.. 4 September 2017. The Hindu. 2 June 2019. 0971-751X. https://web.archive.org/web/20171202124119/http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/nirmala-sitharaman-the-pride-of-tiruchi/article19618658.ece. 2 December 2017. live.
  11. Web site: Rajya Sabha Affidavits. Sitharaman. Nirmala. 30 May 2016. 7. 2 June 2019. 22 April 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220422141053/http://docs.myneta.info/affidavits/rajsab09aff/631/Nirmala%20Sitharaman.pdf. live.
  12. News: Nirmala Sitharaman appointed Finance Minister in Modi govt 2.0 as Arun Jaitley retreats . The Financial Express . 31 May 2019 . 1 June 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190601011218/https://www.financialexpress.com/economy/nirmala-sitharaman-appointed-finance-minister-in-modi-govt-2-0-as-arun-jaitley-retreats/1594251/ . 1 June 2019 . live .
  13. News: Phadnis . Aditi . The rise and rise of Nirmala Sitharaman: From spokesperson to defence minister . Business Standard . 4 September 2017 . 7 January 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190209220341/https://www.business-standard.com/article/politics/rise-of-nirmala-sitharaman-from-spokesperson-to-defence-minister-117090400030_1.html . 9 February 2019 . live .
  14. News: Nirmala Sitharaman and the Budget: A lady's day out . . 1 Feb 2020 . 10 June 2024 . 10 June 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240610180917/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/nirmala-sitharaman-and-the-budget-a-ladys-day-out/articleshow/73803594.cms . live .
  15. News: Nirmala elected to Rajya Sabha. 27 June 2014. The Hindu. 7 January 2019. 0971-751X. 12 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200812153452/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/nirmala-elected-to-rajya-sabha/article6152636.ece. live.
  16. Web site: Nirmala Sitharaman Wins Rajya Sabha Seat From Karnataka, Congress Gets 3 . 12 June 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160611214036/http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/congress-wins-3-rajya-sabha-seats-from-karnataka-bjp-gets-1-1418017 . 11 June 2016 . live . NDTV.com.
  17. News: Naidu, Naqvi, Goyal among 12 in BJP's RS list. 30 May 2016. ABP Live. 29 May 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160530152104/http://www.abplive.in/india-news/naidu-naqvi-goyal-among-12-in-bjps-rs-list-352440. 30 May 2016. dead.
  18. News: Nirmala Sitharaman Joins Cabinet: GST and Start-Up Success Pays Dividend . News18 . 3 September 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170903121046/http://www.news18.com/news/politics/nirmala-sitharaman-joins-cabinet-gst-and-start-up-success-pays-dividend-1508087.html . 3 September 2017 . live .
  19. Web site: Balakot airstrikes: How Indian Air Force carried out a successful retaliation four years back . 2023-07-05 . WION . 25 February 2023 . en-us . 5 July 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230705054026/https://www.wionews.com/india-news/balakot-airstrikes-how-india-air-force-carried-out-a-successful-retaliation-four-years-back-565895 . live .
  20. Web site: As many as 170 JeM terrorists killed in Balakot airstrike: Italian journalist . 2023-07-05 . India Today . 8 May 2019 . en . 29 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201229131010/https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/balakot-airstrike-1520097-2019-05-08 . live .
  21. News: Narendra Modi Cabinet: Amit Shah gets Home and Nirmala Sitharaman is India's first full-time woman Finance Minister . The Hindu . 31 May 2019 . 31 May 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190531093401/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/narendra-modi-cabinet-ministers-and-portfolios/article27375561.ece . 31 May 2019 . live .
  22. News: Key Highlights of Union Budget 2019–20. 5 July 2019. PIB. 5 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190705133516/http://pib.nic.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx%3FPRID%3D1577423. 5 July 2019. live.
  23. Web site: Summary of Union Budget 2020-21. pib.gov.in. 1 February 2020. 1 February 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200201175830/https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx%3Frelid%3D197837. live.
  24. Web site: Coronavirus in India: Economic task force yet to be formed; no decision on relief package. 20 March 2020. Business Today. 20 March 2020. 19 May 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200519200151/https://www.businesstoday.in/current/economy-politics/coronavirus-impact-fm-led-economic-task-force-takes-stock-of-key-ministries/story/398804.html. live.
  25. Web site: Covid 19 Economic Task Force: Government forms Covid-19 economic response task force, says PM Modi. 19 March 2020. The Times of India. 20 March 2020. 7 May 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200507052311/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/government-forms-covid-19-economic-response-task-force-pm-modi/articleshow/74716284.cms. live.
  26. Web site: 2022-09-26 . This chart shows the growth of India's economy . 2023-07-05 . World Economic Forum . en . 5 July 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230705053223/https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/09/india-uk-fifth-largest-economy-world/ . live .
  27. Web site: 2023-05-29 . All promises made in 2014, 2019 enforced: Nirmala Sitharaman on nine years of NDA . 2023-07-05 . The Indian Express . en . 5 July 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230705053224/https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/tax-upliftment-poor-backward-nirmala-sitharaman-modi-govt-9th-anniversary-8634687/ . live .
  28. Web site: Interim Budget 2024: Nirmala Sitharaman Set To Match Morarji Desai's Record . 2024-02-01 . NDTV.com . 10 March 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240310235843/https://www.ndtv.com/business-news/interim-budget-2024-nirmala-sitharaman-set-to-match-morarji-desais-record-4967391 . live .
  29. Web site: 2024-06-10 . Press Communique . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240610175433/https://www.presidentofindia.gov.in/index.php/press_releases/press-communique-18 . 2024-06-10 . 2024-06-10 . Rashtrapati Bhavan.
  30. News: 2024-06-09 . Modi 3.0: Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman, S Jaishankar — 10 ministers retain Cabinet berths . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240610175650/https://indianexpress.com/article/india/modi-cabinet-amit-shah-rajnath-singh-home-defence-portfolio-allocation-9383703/ . 2024-06-10 . 2024-06-09 . Indian Express.
  31. News: The rise and rise of Nirmala Sitharaman: From spokesperson to defence minister. Phadnis. Aditi. 4 September 2017. Business Standard India. 7 January 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190209220341/https://www.business-standard.com/article/politics/rise-of-nirmala-sitharaman-from-spokesperson-to-defence-minister-117090400030_1.html. 9 February 2019. live.
  32. Web site: Mohua Chatterjee, TNN . BJP gets a JNU product as its woman spokesperson . 21 March 2010 . 29 June 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055312/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-03-21/india/28136255_1_nirmala-sitharaman-bjp-spokesperson-nitin-gadkari . 21 September 2013 . . dead .
  33. News: Who is Nirmala Sitharaman, India's first full-time woman Defence Minister. Financial Express. 3 September 2017. 20 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170920091304/http://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/who-is-nirmala-sitharaman-indias-first-full-time-woman-defence-minister/839028/. 20 September 2017. live.
  34. Web site: Management | Pranava . Pranavatheschool.org . 29 June 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130719054722/http://pranavatheschool.org/about/management/ . 19 July 2013 . dead .
  35. Web site: National Leadership from Andhra Pradesh – Official BJP site of Andhra Pradesh Nirmala sitharaman's address and contact information . 20 June 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141020155258/http://ap.bjp.org/organisation/national-leader-ap . 20 October 2014 . dead.
  36. Web site: Official BJP National website . 20 June 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141022002728/http://www.bjp.org/organisation/office-bearers . 22 October 2014 . live.
  37. News: Nirmala Sitharaman, Jaishankar to get JNU's Distinguished Alumni Award. Staff Reporter. 12 June 2019. The Hindu. 13 December 2019. 0971-751X. 8 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201108002718/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sitharaman-and-jaishankar-to-get-jnus-distinguished-alumni-award/article27891307.ece. live.
  38. Web site: Nirmala Sitharaman. Forbes. 13 December 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191213113350/https://www.forbes.com/profile/nirmala-sitharaman/. 13 December 2019. live.
  39. Web site: Meet the Union Finance Minister/DEPARTMENT OF Expenditure | MoF |GoI . doe.gov.in . 17 August 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190812120051/https://doe.gov.in/minister/meet-union-finance-minister . 12 August 2019 . live.
  40. News: BJP spokesperson finds her new role challenging . The Hindu . 3 April 2010 . 29 June 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130921054657/http://www.hindu.com/2010/04/03/stories/2010040362060700.htm . 21 September 2013 . live .
  41. Web site: 2013-09-17 . Vangmayi Parakala - JLF Colorado . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211208190118/https://jlflitfest.org/colorado/speaker/vangmayi-parakala . 2021-12-08 . 2024-06-10 . Jaipur Literature Festival, Colorado . en.
  42. Web site: AP govt advisor and Nirmala Sitharaman's husband Parakala Prabhakar quits, blames Jagan. 19 June 2018. 22 June 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181120092942/https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/ap-govt-advisor-and-nirmala-sitharaman-s-husband-parakala-prabhakar-quits-blames-jagan-83322. 20 November 2018. live.
  43. News: In Nirmala Sitharaman, India Gets Its Second Woman Defence Minister After Indira Gandhi. 3 September 2017. Huffington Post India. 13 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170913183454/http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2017/09/03/in-nirmala-sitharaman-india-gets-its-second-woman-defence-minis_a_23195198/. 13 September 2017. live.
  44. News: 12 Unknown Facts About Nirmala Sitharaman: The Sales Girl Bit Will Surprise You . The Hans India . 3 June 2020 . 3 June 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200603183916/https://www.thehansindia.com/business/12-unknown-facts-about-nirmala-sitharaman-the-sales-girl-bit-will-surprise-you-626023 . live .

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