Sitharaman makes history, presents 7th consecutive Budget
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the FY25 Union Budget on Tuesday, marking her seventh consecutive budget presentation, a record in Indian history. She surpasses Morarji Desai, who previously held the record with six consecutive presentations. Sitharaman was reappointed as India's finance minister, a position she's held since 2019, in June after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) came to power. She was one of the few ministers Prime Minister Narendra Modi retained in his new cabinet.
Her political journey
Sitharaman joined the Modi cabinet in 2014 as Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs and was later elevated to Minister of Commerce and Industry with an independent charge. In 2017, she made history by becoming first full-time female defense minister in 2017 before taking charge as finance and corporate affairs minister in 2019. She has since established herself as the first woman to occupy these posts full-time, a role previously held by Indira Gandhi as an additional portfolio.
Watch: Sitharaman presents Union Budget 2024-25 in Lok Sabha
She was born in 1959 in Madurai
She was born in 1959 in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, and has a degree in economics from Seethaiakshmi Ramaswamy College in Tiruchirapalli, as well as a master's degree in economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. Before joining the Modi cabinet in 2014, she contributed to the National Commission for Women from 2003-2005. Under her leadership, the traditional budget briefcase was replaced by a 'bahi-khata' emblazoned with the National Emblem in 2019.
