Nirmala Sitharaman, born on August 18, 1959, in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, is an Indian politician currently serving as the Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs. She is a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the second woman to hold the position of Finance Minister, after Indira Gandhi. Sitharaman has previously served as India’s Defence Minister from 2017 to 2019, making her the first woman to hold the role full-time. Her political career, marked by significant achievements in both finance and defense, reflects her strong leadership and policy-oriented approach.

Sitharaman began her career as an academic and a spokesperson for the BJP, becoming a Member of the Rajya Sabha in 2014. As Finance Minister, she has focused on comprehensive economic reforms, tackling issues like taxation, banking, financial inclusion, and infrastructure development. She introduced the Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India) initiative to boost domestic production and self-sufficiency, along with schemes aimed at economic recovery during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Her tenure also saw efforts to increase foreign investment, bolster financial regulations, and enhance social welfare schemes.

During her term as Defence Minister, Sitharaman played a pivotal role in strengthening India’s defense capabilities, advocating for indigenous production through the Make in India initiative, boosting exports, and enhancing border security. Her decisions aimed at modernizing the armed forces, procuring advanced equipment, and ensuring readiness, both strategically and operationally, were significant steps in national security.

In March 2019, BOOM fact-checked a viral video that claimed Nirmala Sitharaman’s act of touching the feet of a slain jawan’s mother in Dehradun was politically motivated.

BOOM found out that the video was genuine and accurately depicted Sitharaman’s respectful gesture toward the mother of a martyred Indian Army jawan, confirming that the video was not staged for political purposes, debunking the false narrative around it.