Nirmala Sitharaman - wikipedia Nirmala Sitharaman This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 25 August 2018. Nirmala Sitharaman Minister of Defence Incumbent Assumed office 3 September 2017 Prime Minister Narendra Modi Preceded by Arun Jaitley Minister of Commerce and Industry In office 26 May 2014 -- 3 September 2017 Prime Minister Narendra Modi Preceded by Anand Sharma Succeeded by Suresh Prabhu Spokesperson of Bharatiya Janata Party In office 2010 -- 2014 Succeeded by Shaina NC MP of Rajya Sabha for Karnataka Incumbent Assumed office 1 July 2016 Preceded by M. Venkaiah Naidu, BJP MP of Rajya Sabha for Andhra Pradesh In office 26 June 2014 -- 21 June 2016 Preceded by N. Janardhana Reddy, Indian National Congress Succeeded by Suresh Prabhu Personal details ( 1959 - 08 - 18 ) 18 August 1959 ( age 59 ) Madurai, Madras State ( now Tamil Nadu ) Political party Bharatiya Janata Party Children Residence Bangalore, Karnataka, India Alma mater Seethalakshmi Ramaswamy College, Tiruchirapalli Jawaharlal Nehru University Nirmala Sitharaman ( born 18 August 1959 ) is an Indian politician of the Bharatiya Janata Party, currently serving as the Minister of Defence in the Narendra Modi government. She is also a member of the Rajya Sabha for Karnataka. Sitharaman has formerly served as the Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs under the Ministry of Finance and the Minister for Commerce and Industry with independent charge. Prior to that, she has served as a national spokesperson for the BJP. Contents 1 Personal life 2 Political career 3 Non-political career 4 References 5 External links Personal life Nirmala was born in Madurai, Tamil Nadu to Narayanan and Savitri. Her father, Narayanan Sitaraman, hailed from Musiri, Tiruchirappalli district, while her mother 's family had its roots in Thiruvenkadu, Thanjavur District and Salem district. Her father was an employee of Indian Railways and hence she spent her childhood in various parts of the state. She had her schooling from Madras and Tiruchirappalli. She obtained a BA in economics at the Seethalakshmi Ramaswamy College in Tiruchirapalli. And her Master 's degree in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. She met her husband Parakala Prabhakar, from Narsapuram Andhra Pradesh, while studying at the Jawaharlal Nehru University. While Nirmala leaned towards the BJP, her husband was from a pro-Congress family. He served as a communications advisor to the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Chandrababu Naidu. Political career Nirmala Sitharaman joined the BJP in 2008 and has served as a spokesperson for the party. In 2014, she was inducted in Narendra Modi 's cabinet as a junior minister. In May 2016, she was one of the 12 candidates nominated by the BJP to contest the Rajya Sabha elections due on 11 June 2016. She successfully contested her seat from Karnataka. On 3 September 2017, she was elevated to Defence Minister, being only the second woman after Indira Gandhi to hold the Defence Minister post. Non-political career Outside the political sphere, Sitharaman has served as an assistant to Economist in the Agricultural Engineers Association in the UK. During her stay in the UK, she has also served as a Senior Manager ( R&D ) for Price Waterhouse and briefly at the BBC World Service. She has also served as a member of National Commission for Women. In 2017, she was one of the founding directors of Pranava school in Hyderabad. References Jump up ^ http://commerce.nic.in/bio/CIMBiodata.pdf Jump up ^ `` Nirmala Sitharaman Wins Rajya Sabha Seat From Karnataka, Congress Gets 3 ''. Jump up ^ `` National Leadership from Andhra Pradesh - Official BJP site of Andhra Pradesh Nirmala sitharaman 's address and contact information ''. Jump up ^ `` Official BJP National website ''. Jump up ^ `` Deccan Chronicle : BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman gets NJR Rajya Sabha seat ''. 4 June 2014. Jump up ^ Phadnis, Aditi ( 4 September 2017 ). `` The rise and rise of Nirmala Sitharaman : From spokesperson to defence minister ''. Business Standard. Retrieved 6 September 2017. Jump up ^ Narayanan, Chitra ; T.C.A., Srinivasa Raghavan ( 8 June 2011 ). `` ' Like water on a lotus leaf ' ''. The Hindu. Retrieved 6 September 2017. Jump up ^ `` Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : BJP spokesperson finds her new role challenging ''. The Hindu. 3 April 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2013. Jump up ^ `` AP govt advisor and Nirmala Sitharaman 's husband Parakala Prabhakar quits, blames Jagan ''. ^ Jump up to : `` In Nirmala Sitharaman, India Gets Its Second Woman Defence Minister After Indira Gandhi ''. Huffington Post India. 2017 - 09 - 03. Retrieved 2017 - 09 - 13. Jump up ^ `` Naidu, Naqvi, Goyal among 12 in BJP 's RS list ''. ABP Live. 29 May 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2016. Jump up ^ `` Nirmala Sitharaman Joins Cabinet : GST and Start - Up Success Pays Dividend ''. News18. Retrieved 3 September 2017. Jump up ^ `` Modi Cabinet reshuffle : Full list of new council of ministers '', The Times of India, 3 September 2017 Jump up ^ Mohua Chatterjee, TNN ( 21 March 2010 ). `` BJP gets a JNU product as its woman spokesparson ''. Indiatimes.com. Retrieved 29 June 2013. Jump up ^ `` Who is Nirmala Sitharaman, India 's first full - time woman Defence Minister ''. Financial Express. 3 September 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017. Jump up ^ `` Management Pranava ''. Pranavatheschool.org. Retrieved 29 June 2013. External links Elections.in - Nirmala Sitharaman Biography Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nirmala Sitharaman. Modi ministry Prime Minister : Narendra Modi Cabinet Ministers Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Radha Mohan Singh Chemicals and Fertilizers Ananth Kumar Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu Commerce and Industry Suresh Prabhu Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan Corporate Affairs Arun Jaitley Defence Nirmala Sitharaman Drinking Water and Sanitation Uma Bharati Earth Sciences Harsh Vardhan Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad External Affairs Sushma Swaraj Finance Arun Jaitley Food Processing Industry Harsimrat Kaur Badal Coal Piyush Goyal Environment, Forest and Climate Change Harsh Vardhan Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda Heavy Industry and Public Enterprises Anant Geete Home Affairs Rajnath Singh Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar Information and Broadcasting Smriti Irani Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad Overseas Indian Affairs Sushma Swaraj Panchayati Raj Narendra Singh Tomar Parliamentary Affairs Ananth Kumar Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Narendra Modi Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan Railways Piyush Goyal Rural Development Narendra Singh Tomar Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawar Chand Gehlot Space Narendra Modi Statistics and Programme Implementation D.V. Sadananda Gowda Steel Chaudhary Birender Singh Shipping and Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari Textiles Smriti Irani Tribal Affairs Jual Oram Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Nitin Gadkari Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi Mines Narendra Singh Tomar Ministers of State ( Independent Charge ) AYUSH Shripad Yasso Naik Communications Manoj Sinha Culture Mahesh Sharma Development of North Eastern Region Jitendra Singh Labour and Employment Santosh Kumar Gangwar Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Giriraj Singh New and Renewable Energy Raj Kumar Singh Planning Rao Inderjit Singh Power Raj Kumar Singh Tourism Alphons Kannanthanam Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Hardeep Singh Puri Youth Affairs and Sports Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore Ministers of State Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Parsottambhai Rupala S.S. Ahluwalia Sudarshan Bhagat Atomic Energy Jitendra Singh Chemicals and Fertilizers Mansukh L. Mandaviya Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Disturbution Chhotu Ram Chaudhary Corporate Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal Defence Subhash Ramrao Bhamre Drinking Water and Sanitation Ramesh Jigajinagi Earth Sciences Y.S. Chowdary Electronics and IT P.P. Choudhary External Affairs M.J. Akbar V.K. Singh Finance Arjun Ram Meghwal Santosh Gangwar Food Processing Industry Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel Faggan Singh Kulaste Heavy Industry and Public Enterprises G.M. Siddeshwara Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir Kiren Rijiju Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Babul Supriyo Rao Inderjit Singh Human Resource Development Mahendra Nath Pandey Upendra Kushwaha Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore Law and Justice PP Choudhary Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary Giriraj Singh Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi Overseas Indian Affairs V.K. Singh Panchayati Raj Parsottambhai Rupala Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal Vijay Goel Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Jitendra Singh Prime Minister 's Office Jitendra Singh Railways Manoj Sinha Rajen Gohain Road Transport and Highways Mansukh L. Mandaviya Pon Radhakrishnan Rural Development Ram Kripal Yadav Science and Technology Y.S. Chowdary Social Justice and Empowerment Krishan Pal Gurjar Ramdas Athawale Vijay Sampla Steel Vishnudeo Sai Shipping Mansukh L. Mandaviya Pon Radhakrishnan Space Jitendra Singh Textiles Ajay Tamta Tribal Affairs Jasvantsinh Sumanbhai Bhabhor Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Arjun Ram Meghwal Satya Pal Singh Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi Urban Development Babul Supriyo Rao Inderjit Singh Defence Ministers of India Baldev Singh Kailash Nath Katju V.K. Krishna Menon Yashwantrao Chavan Jagjivan Ram Chaudhary Bansi Lal R. Venkataraman Rajiv Gandhi V.P. Singh K.C. Pant Chandra Shekhar Singh Sharad Pawar P.V. Narasimha Rao Pramod Mahajan Mulayam Singh Yadav George Fernandes Jaswant Singh George Fernandes Pranab Mukherjee A.K. Antony Arun Jaitley Manohar Parrikar Nirmala Sitharaman Bharatiya Janata Party Party Presidents Atal Bihari Vajpayee ( 1980 -- 86 ) Lal Krishna Advani ( 1986 -- 91 ) Murli Manohar Joshi ( 1991 -- 93 ) Lal Krishna Advani ( 1993 -- 98 ) Kushabhau Thakre ( 1998 -- 2000 ) Bangaru Laxman ( 2000 -- 01 ) Jana Krishnamurthi ( 2001 -- 02 ) Venkaiah Naidu ( 2002 -- 04 ) Lal Krishna Advani ( 2004 -- 06 ) Rajnath Singh ( 2006 -- 09 ) Nitin Gadkari ( 2009 -- 13 ) Rajnath Singh ( 2013 -- 14 ) Amit Shah ( 2014 -- present ) Current vice presidents Avinash Rai Khanna Prabhat Jha Vinay Sahasrabuddhe Renu Devi Om Prakash Mathur Shyam Jaju Other prominent leaders Sushma Swaraj Arun Jaitley Bhairon Singh Shekhawat Sunder Lal Patwa Ravi Shankar Prasad Pramod Mahajan Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi Sushil Kumar Modi Himanta Biswa Sarma Ram Naik Prime ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee Narendra Modi Current chief ministers Vijay Rupani Vasundhara Raje Shivraj Singh Chouhan Raman Singh Manohar Parrikar Jai Ram Thakur Manohar Lal Khattar Devendra Fadnavis Raghubar Das Sarbananda Sonowal Pema Khandu N. Biren Singh Trivendra Singh Rawat Yogi Adityanath Biplab Kumar Deb Spokespersons Syed Shahnawaz Hussain Sudhanshu Trivedi M.J. Akbar Meenakshi Lekhi Bizay Sonkar Shastri Siddharth Nath Singh Nalin Kohli Sambit Patra Anil Baluni G.V.L. Narsimha Rao Gopal Krishna Agarwal Siddhartha Bhattacharya Gaurav Bhatia Shaina NC Nupur Sharma Shazia Ilmi General secretaries P. Muralidhar Rao Ram Madhav Saroj Pandey Bhupender Yadav Kailash Vijayvargiya Anil Jain Arun Singh Ram Lal Political wings Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha BJP Mahila Morcha BJP SC Morcha BJP ST Morcha BJP OBC Morcha BJP Minority Morcha BJP Kisan Morcha Related organisations Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Bharatiya Jana Sangh Janata Party Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh Bharatiya Kisan Sangh Others Hindutva Integral humanism Biography portal Government of India portal Hyderabad portal Political offices Preceded by Anand Sharma Minister of Commerce and Industry 2014 -- 2017 As Minister of State ( Independent Charge ) Succeeded by Suresh Prabhu Preceded by Arun Jaitley Minister of Defence 2017 -- Present Incumbent Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nirmala_Sitharaman&oldid=856454138 '' Categories : 1959 births Living people Politicians from Madurai Tamil politicians Indian Tamil politicians Women in Andhra Pradesh politics PricewaterhouseCoopers people Jawaharlal Nehru University alumni Rajya Sabha members from Andhra Pradesh Union ministers of state of India with independent charge Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Andhra Pradesh Narendra Modi ministry 21st - century Indian women politicians 21st - century Indian politicians Women in Karnataka politics Indian women economists 20th - century Indian economists Rajya Sabha members from Karnataka Women union ministers of state of India Women members of the Rajya Sabha Defence Ministers of India Female defence ministers 21st - century Indian economists 20th - century Indian women scientists 21st - century Indian women scientists Women scientists from Tamil Nadu Women members of the Cabinet of India Hidden categories : Use dmy dates from September 2017 Talk Contents About Wikipedia भोजपुरी Français ગુજરાતી हिन्दी עברית ಕನ್ನಡ मैथिली മലയാളം मराठी Português Suomi தமிழ் తెలుగు 4 more Edit links This page was last edited on 25 August 2018, at 09 : 40 ( UTC ). 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Question: who is the present defence minister of karnataka
Answer: Nirmala Sitharaman