India’s Defence ministry has a new leader in Nirmala Sitharaman as the countries First Full time Women Defence minister. The only other woman leader who lead the defence ministry was the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi who kept the defence portfolio during her government rule.
With this promotion, Nirmala Sitharaman now automatically becomes part of the powerful Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). Sitharaman who was earlier Minister of State of Commerce leapfrogged other senior Cabinet members to get the Defence portfolio.
Sitharaman takes over the charge from Jaitley who clearly seemed overburdened by the additional charge of Defence and would be more than happy to hand the post over to the new in charge. This appointment is a short in the arm for Womens empowerment and signals PM Modi’s strong intent to shake up the system and allot portfolios based on performance rather than only name credibility.
The defence ministry does require strong leadership and this elevation clearly shows the faith & support that the Prime Minister has for Sitharaman. With the growing border conflicts with Pakistan & China and the threat of terrorist infilteration, only time will tell if Nirmala Sitharaman will be ready for the challenges and responsibilities that come along with this portfolio and repose the faith people have on her. We at Guysworld wish her the very best in her new role as Defence Minister.
