Lawmaker Nirmala Sitharaman Appointed as India’s Defence Minister

Lawmaker Nirmala Sitharaman was today sworn in as as India’s defence minister.

Sitharaman is India's first full-time woman defence minister and takes from Arun Jaitley who held the two positions of finance and defence minister.

The Indian government had been without a full-time defence minister after the previous incumbent, Manohar Parrikar was relieved of his job after he became the chief minister of Goa state in South India.

Sitharaman was quoted as saying by Times Now TV that she was "very grateful" for the confidence the Prime Minister has on her.

Sitharaman was among the four junior ministers who were given cabinet berths at the reshuffle today. Sitharaman was earlier the Minister of State for Commerce.