Nirmala Sitharaman, born on August 18, 1959, in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, celebrates her 66th birthday today. Daughter of Narayan Sitharaman, who worked with Indian Railways, she pursued her education with great dedication. She graduated in Economics from Seethalakshmi Ramaswamy College, Tiruchirappalli, and completed her master’s degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in 1984. She also completed a PhD focusing on the Indo-European textile trade.
Sitharaman made history as India’s first full-time woman Finance Minister, a post she took over in 2019. Before this, she served as India’s Defence Minister from 2017 to 2019, becoming the first woman to hold that position on a full-time basis. During her tenure as Defence Minister, she oversaw important military actions, including the 2019 Balakot airstrike.
As Finance Minister, she has led India through many challenges and played a vital role in making India the world’s fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP. She introduced the Income-Tax Bill, 2025, aiming to simplify tax laws and include regulations for digital assets like cryptocurrencies.
On Independence Day, Sitharaman’s Finance Ministry announced major GST reforms. The proposal aims to remove the 12% and 28% tax slabs and keep only 5% and 18%, simplifying the tax structure for most products. This move is expected to ease the tax burden on the middle class. The Group of Ministers (GoM) will review these proposals before the GST Council considers them in the coming months.
Before her political career, Sitharaman lived in London with her husband, Parakala Prabhakar. There, she worked in various roles including as a saleswoman at Habitat and a senior manager at PwC. Returning to India in 1991, she entered politics and quickly rose through the ranks of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
She and her husband met at JNU, though they come from different political backgrounds. Sitharaman is also known for her social work, including founding a school for underprivileged children and serving on the National Commission for Women.
Outside of work, she enjoys classical music and is a devotee of Lord Krishna.
Read more: EPFO Removes Legal Hurdle in Death Claims for Minor Beneficiaries.
Nirmala Sitharaman’s journey is a story of breaking barriers and leading India through transformative times. As she turns 66, her contributions to the economy and governance continue to inspire many across the country.
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Published on: Aug 18, 2025, 3:16 PM IST
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