India’s first female finance minister in almost five decades, Nirmala Sitharaman, has held a wide range of jobs: She rode aboard a fighter jet as defense minister. “It is difficult to predict what Minister Sitharaman will do in her new role as finance minister,” said Richard Rossow, senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. She held a string of increasingly important roles inside the party and government, and has been viewed as a trusted associate of both Modi and Arun Jaitley, her predecessor as finance minister. As finance minister, Sitharaman will need to fight perceptions that Modi is pulling the strings. Since her appointment, Sitharaman has clocked long hours at her office daily, often listening to suggestions coming her way, according to finance ministry officials.

Source: Hindustan Times July 03, 2019 04:18 UTC