BUDGET 2024: The budget for the fiscal year 2024-2025, marking India’s largest democracy, has been presented today by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Alongside this, she has set a new record by presenting the budget for the seventh consecutive time, becoming the first Finance Minister to achieve this milestone. Previously, Morarji Desai held the record with six consecutive budget presentations.
But do you know what Nirmala Sitharaman did before entering politics and how she embarked on her political journey?
Nirmala Sitharaman was Inspired by Sushma Swaraj
If we talk about Nirmala Sitharaman’s political career, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Sushma Swaraj played a significant role in her journey. Nirmala first met Sushma Swaraj at a school in Hyderabad, after which she began her ascent in politics. She became the only woman to hold the position of Defense Minister after Indira Gandhi and is also known as India’s first full-time female Finance Minister.
Interest in Politics Grows at JNU
However, many people do not know that she comes from a non-political family in Chennai. She went to a college in Tiruchirappalli and then obtained a degree in Economics from JNU in Delhi. Her father worked in the Indian Railways and her mother was a homemaker. In an interview, she mentioned that she had always been interested in how globalization affects developing countries. Her interest in politics grew during her time at JNU, where she met her life partner, Parakala Prabhakar, while in college. After that, her life changed. She went to London for her studies and worked at a home décor store while pursuing her PhD.
Starting as a Salesgirl
Her journey began as a salesgirl, where she proved herself so adept that she received a bottle of champagne for her exceptional work at Christmas. Sales was one of the areas where she took risks. She also worked as Deputy Director of the UK Association of Agricultural Engineers. She also worked for some time at BBC World Service and as a Senior Research and Development Manager at Price Waterhouse in the UK. If we look at her career graph, we can say that she was very ambitious towards her goals and took her career very seriously. Starting her career as a salesgirl, this girl thought that her success would touch the sky. After that, with dedication and dedication, she achieved in her life what she wanted.
Also read: The evolution of budget briefcase in India
