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Nirmala Sitharaman

About Nirmala Sitharaman

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Who is Nirmala Sitharaman

Nirmala Sitharaman holds two important portfolios — the finance ministry and the corporate affairs ministry — in the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in its second term at the Centre. She is the first full-time woman finance minister of the country. Earlier, Indira Gandhi had held finance as an additional portfolio for a short duration when she was the prime minister of India. Sitharaman presented this government’s maiden Budget on July 5. Tax relief offered by Piyush Goyal to the salaried class in the Interim Budget was a key thing looked at in her Budget. She made no change to the taxation waiver offered by Goyal those earning up to Rs 5 lakh annually. She, however, increased the surcharge for those with an annual taxable income of over Rs 2 crore.  

Read all about Budget 2019, presented by Sitharaman on July 5
 
A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politician and a trusted lieutenant of PM Modi's, Sitharaman headed the Union defence ministry during the first stint of the Modi government. Initially, she had been made a Minister of State in 2014 and given the portfolio of commerce & industry with independent charge. 
 
A member of the Rajya Sabha, Sitharaman did not contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
 
Before taking to active politics, Sitharaman worked in the corporate sector after getting a masters degree from the Jawaharlal Nehru University. Subsequently, she moved to London with her husband and joined the British Broadcasting Corporation. She returned to India in the 1990s and became an educationist. Later, she founded the Pranava school in Hyderabad. 
 
She was nominated to the National Commission for Women during the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime under Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Sitharaman joined the BJP in 2008 and was made a spokesperson for the party the next year. In 2014, she became a member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha as a BJP candidate.
 
During her term as defence minister, Sitharaman had to defend the Narendra Modi government against allegations of corruption by the Opposition in the Rafale aircraft deal signed between India and France. Sitharaman's firefighting, in public and Parliament, were significant since the Opposition had been using alleged corruption in the Rafale deal as a poll plank in the run-up to Lok Sabha elections 2019. Sitharaman was also a member of the committee tasked with preparing the BJP's manifesto for the elections.

 

Latest Updates on Nirmala Sitharaman

Congress pointed out that the additional benefits given to Buch coincided with her appointment at Sebi

Updated On: 05 Sep 2024 | 9:23 AM IST

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera on Tuesday issued a statement questioning ICICI Bank's explanation over retirement benefits allegedly received by Sebi Chief Madhabi Puri Buch

Updated On: 03 Sep 2024 | 4:53 PM IST

The banks, she stressed, need to focus on core banking business which is mobilising deposits

Updated On: 10 Aug 2024 | 2:42 PM IST

In the afternoon on Monday, the ship experienced severe listing to one side (port side), the release said. "Despite all efforts, the ship could not be brought to the upright position

Updated On: 22 Jul 2024 | 10:07 PM IST

Budget may give more importance to populist measures: Nischal Maheshwari

Updated On: 17 Jul 2024 | 1:29 PM IST

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Updated On: 10 Apr 2023 | 6:26 PM IST

Banks and financial institutions have sanctioned Rs 23.2 trn to over 408.2 mn beneficiaries under the Mudra Yojana since its launch in 2015

Updated On: 08 Apr 2023 | 10:15 PM IST

She will also participate in G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meetings

Updated On: 08 Apr 2023 | 10:02 PM IST

She will also be attending the G20 meetings and other associated meetings, which are scheduled to take place from April 10 to April 16

Updated On: 08 Apr 2023 | 9:21 PM IST

The Consumer Online Foundation has written to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to investigate the business activities of company Rario and its compliance with Indian taxation laws

Updated On: 07 Apr 2023 | 7:26 PM IST

The government has announced setting up of a four-member committee to review the National Pension Scheme (NPS)

Updated On: 07 Apr 2023 | 5:15 PM IST

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman welcomes RBI decision, says it has taken a 'good call'

Updated On: 06 Apr 2023 | 10:50 PM IST

The scheme aims to promote entrepreneurship at the grassroot level focusing on economic empowerment and job creation and has been extended up to the year 2025

Updated On: 05 Apr 2023 | 11:39 AM IST

FM Nirmala Sitharaman said that it is now agreed during the negotiations of bilateral trade treaties that India has a better robust commercial system giving investors the confidence they need

Updated On: 01 Apr 2023 | 11:58 PM IST

The matter was reviewed at a March 25 meeting of the bank leaders with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who met to discuss progress of a reform agenda for the lenders

Updated On: 29 Mar 2023 | 8:46 AM IST

The simplified KYC, along with small savings rates for the April-June 2023 quarter, may be announced on March 31, the official said

Updated On: 29 Mar 2023 | 12:05 AM IST

Of Rs 7.34 lakh crore written-off loans, state-owned lenders recovered Rs 1.03 lakh crore, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha

Updated On: 28 Mar 2023 | 7:50 PM IST

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will move the Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2022 in the Lok Sabha for consideration and passing.

Updated On: 28 Mar 2023 | 11:49 AM IST

Collections under GST Compensation Cess grew by 107.6 per cent from 2017-18 to 2022-23 (RE), Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the Lok Sabha in a written reply

Updated On: 27 Mar 2023 | 9:40 PM IST

The Indian government has received about 54 foreign direct investment proposals from China since last year that are pending for approval, said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

Updated On: 27 Mar 2023 | 9:31 PM IST