Nirmala Sitharaman Continues as Finance Minister in Modi's Third Term

In the Modi 3.0 government, Nirmala Sitharaman will continue as India’s finance minister. The NDA government announced the portfolios on Monday, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi took his oath of office for his historic third term.

Sitharaman, who was inducted as a cabinet minister during Modi’s oath-taking ceremony, marks a significant achievement as a woman in Indian politics. She has now been a Union minister for three consecutive terms.

Nirmala Sitharaman first joined PM Modi’s cabinet in 2014 as the industry and commerce minister. In 2017, she was assigned the defence portfolio. When Arun Jaitley fell ill, Sitharaman became the first woman to manage the finance portfolio for a full term.

Born on August 18, 1959, in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, Sitharaman studied economics at Seethalakshmi Ramaswami College in Tiruchirapalli for her undergraduate degree. She then moved to New Delhi to further her education, earning both a Master’s and a Master of Philosophy degree in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

Before entering Indian politics, Nirmala Sitharaman had a successful career in the corporate sector in the United Kingdom.

As she continues in her role as finance minister, Sitharaman’s experience and dedication are expected to help steer India’s economic policies and growth in the coming years.