Nirmala Sitharaman becomes Union Finance Minister

Nirmala Sitharaman has been allocated to the Ministry of Finance. Since she has already served as a junior Minister in Finance and Corporate Affairs earlier, it won't be difficult for her to get into action from day one. That she is a post-graduate in Economics will be an advantage.

New Delhi: Cabinet portfolios has been announced on Friday. Nirmala Sitharaman has been assigned the important portfolio of Finance along with Corporate Affairs.

With a slowing economy and rising unemployment, her job is clearly cut out. She would be presenting the Union Budget in July.

Since she has already served as a junior Minister in Finance and Corporate Affairs earlier, it won't be difficult for her to get into action from day one. That she is a post-graduate in Economics will be an advantage.

Before becoming the Defence Minister in the previous Modi government, Sitharaman served as the Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs. She was also Minister for Commerce and Industry with independent charge.

Prior to getting a ministerial berth after the BJP took power in 2014, Sitharaman served as a spokesperson for the party.

Sitharaman was born on August 18, 1959, in the temple town of Madurai, Tamil Nadu. She did her schooling and her graduation in Economics, from Seethalakshmi Ramaswamy College in Tiruchirapalli.

She went on to do her Masters in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

Sitharaman served as an assistant to Economist in the Agricultural Engineers Association, the UK in London. She subsequently worked as Senior Manager (Research and Analysis) with Price Waterhouse, London. During this time she also briefly worked with BBC World Service.

On her return to India, she served as Deputy Director of the Centre for Public Policy Studies at Hyderabad.

Sitharaman joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2008 and was made a member of the National Executive. She was nominated as party spokesperson in March 2010 and has been a full-time party worker since then.

She was inducted in the Union Cabinet on May 26, 2014, as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Commerce and Industry.