On September 3, Nirmala Sitharaman, who served as Minister for Commerce and Industry, was chosen for the biggest promotion in Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s cabinet reshuffle on the weekend, and was given independent charge of the Defense Ministry. Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was the first woman to hold this portfolio, though as an additional charge.
“It will be a priority for me to ensure the smooth and speedy implementation of defense deals and projects,” Sitharaman told reporters, adding that her other priority was armed forces families and their welfare.
Sitharaman’s team consists of Dr. Subhash Ramrao Bhamre, Minister of State for Defense, Dr. Sanjay Kumar Pandey, personal secretary, and Sanjay Mitra defense secretary among many others.
Sitharaman now joins the five-member Cabinet Committee on Security which includes Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
Bhaskar Kanungo, deputy director, Strategic Trade at industry body FICCI, expects Sitharaman’s appointment to give foreign defense equipment manufacturers “new assurance and confidence, leading to much-needed time-bound reforms that are essential for bringing FDI in defense and aerospace.” He added, “Her vision on ‘Make in India’ will help to bridge the gap between foreign original equipment manufacturers and the Indian defense and aerospace industry,” reports Bloomberg.
The biggest challenge for the new minister will be to take decisions that will pave the way for the private sector to access India’s defense industry along with the preferred state-owned undertakings.
Twitterati welcomed the NDA government’s move to appoint Sitharaman as the defense minister.
