Question

Who is the first full fledged woman Defence Minister of India ?
1. Indira Gandhi
2. Nirmala Sitharaman
3. Amrit Kaur
4. Sucheta Kripalani

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 2 : Nirmala Sitharaman

The correct answer is Nirmala Sitharaman.

• Nirmala Sitharaman was the first woman to be appointed full-time Defence Minister of India in September 2017.
• Nirmala Sitharaman, a Rajya Sabha member, is the second woman who took charge of the crucial ministry after Indira Gandhi has held this portfolio before, in addition to her responsibilities as Prime Minister of India.
• As the Defence Minister, Sitharaman attempted to strengthen the Army, Navy and the Air Force and was credited for expediting the decision-making process relating to defence procurement. She constituted a Defence Planning Committee to formulate an "action plan" to effectively deal with various security challenges facing the nation.
• However, her biggest moment came when India carried out airstrikes on a terrorist training camp in Pakistan's Balakot, seen as a major policy shift
• in the country's efforts to deal with cross border terrorism.
• She took on the opposition head-on with her fiery defence of the Rafale fighter jet deal in Parliament.

• First female Finance Minister of India - Nirmala Sitharaman
• First female Minister of India - Amrit Kaur
• First female Defence Minister of India - Indira Gandhi
• First female Chief Minster - Sucheta Kripalani
• First female Governor - Sarojini Naidu