Jaitley’s Successor: Nirmala Sitharaman Becomes India’s Next Finance Minister

Former defence minister and BJP MP Nirmala Sitharaman has been allocated the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Corporate Affairs in the new Cabinet under the Modi government.

She has also been given independent charge of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Hailing from Tamil Nadu, Sitharaman has also previously served as the BJP’s national spokesperson, and is one of the party’s foremost female leaders. Interestingly, she is also a graduate in Economics.

Being in-charge of the most important ministries in managing economic affairs, Sitharaman will play an important role in ensuring the implementation of more economic reforms in the Modi government’s second run.