New Delhi : Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday assumed charge as the Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs at South Block in Delhi.

After taking charge she signed some files.

Sitharaman was accompanied by Pankaj Chaudhary who took charge as Minister of State (MoS) in the Ministry.

Nirmala Sitharaman is among a few who have been Union Minister in both the 2014 and 2019 Modi cabinets.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent a clear message of continuity in the government’s economic policy with the reappointment of Nirmala Sitharaman as Finance Minister.

Sitharaman’s return comes on the back of a successful track record with the Indian economy clocking a robust 8.2 per cent growth in 2023-24, which is the fastest among the world’s major economies, and inflation coming down to below 5 per cent.

During her tenure as Finance Minister, the fiscal deficit has also been reduced from more than 9 per cent of GDP in 2020-21 to the targeted level of 5.1 per cent for 2024-25.

After having presented an interim budget ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Sitharaman now faces the challenge of presenting a full budget that ensures the economy continues on the high growth trajectory and creates more jobs while at the same time keeping in mind the aspirations of the coalition partners of the Modi 3.0.

In 2014, she served as the Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs and later the Minister for Commerce and Industry with Independent Charge.

In 2017, he became the Defence Minister

In 2019, Sitharaman assumed charge as the Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs.