India News

Nirmala Sitharaman, India’s new defence minister, biggest gainer in Sunday’s reshuffle

Published

9 years ago

September 3, 2017

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Piyush Goyal gets railways, Prabhu moved to commerce ministry while Uma Bharati stripped off water resources portfolio

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi re-allocated portfolios to his council of ministers on Sunday, shortly before flying off to Xiamen, China for the BRICS summit, he made his imprint absolutely clear – those firmly associated with him, like Nirmala Sitharaman and Piyush Goyal were rewarded with high-profile ministries, while BJP leaders who once enjoyed plum roles under Atal Bihari Vajpayee saw their stature diminished.

The biggest gainer in Sunday’s mega-expansion was clearly Nirmala Sitharaman. Not only did Modi award the former junior minister for commerce with a cabinet rank but he also elevated her straight to the elite ‘top five’ club of ministers, giving her the crucial defence portfolio. Sitharaman will now be part of the powerful Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), sharing space with the Prime Minister and veterans Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley – ministers for home affairs, external affairs and finance respectively. Sitharaman becomes only the second woman since Indira Gandhi to hold the portfolio of India’s defence minister.

The other real winner in the reshuffle is Piyush Goyal, who was also elevated from being a minister of state with independent charge to a cabinet rank and moved to head Railways ministry while also holding charge of the coal portfolio. Suresh Prabhu, who had offered to resign as railway minister after two train derailments happened in quick succession two weeks back, has been moved to head Sitharaman’s erstwhile portfolio of commerce. As the new railway minister, the technologically savvy and articulate Goyal will have to implement a major image-makeover for the world’s largest rail network, which for several years now has been under criticism for poor maintenance, rising accidents, appalling catering services and lack of modernization.

Although Dharmendra Pradhan and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi were elevated to the rank of cabinet ministers, they can’t be seen as major gainers in terms of their role in government. The two have been promoted but will still head the same portfolios as before – Pradhan leading the petroleum ministry while Naqvi at the helm of the minority affairs portfolio. Though Pradhan has been given new charge of the skill development ministry – which until two days back was headed by LK Advani acolyte Rajiv Pratap Rudy who was forced to resign – Naqvi, who had performed well as junior minister for parliamentary affairs has been made to shed that charge and limit himself to the predictable role of minority affairs minister, a role he anyway played, albeit showing little merit.

In a way, though Narendra Modi succeeded in making a big bang with the new look of his cabinet, he seems to have faltered in assigning roles to his new teammates as per their respective areas of expertise.

Take for instance career diplomat Hardeep Singh Puri and former IAS KJ Alphons who have both been inducted as ministers of state with independent charge. While Puri would have proven a good hand in the external affairs portfolio – where Modi needs all the help he can due to his government’s rather sketchy foreign policy – he has been given charge of the ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Similarly, Alphons, who had a proven track record on matters related to urban and town planning has been given independent charge of the tourism ministry and will also serve as minister of state for electronics and information technology.

Uma Bharati, another BJP veteran from the sidelined Atal-Advani camp, has been stripped off her charge of the Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation ministry. While Nitin Gadkari, who was tipped to become the railway minister but lost out apparently because he didn’t want the additional burden, has been given charge of the mammoth Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation ministry along with his current responsibility of the Road transport and Shipping portfolio, Bharati will now have to cool her heels as minister of the low key Drinking Water and Sanitation ministry. But then the Sadhvi should perhaps just be happy that she is still a cabinet minister; Modi had ostensibly wanted her to quit.

While Atal-Advani loyalist Kalraj Mishra has had to resign and his portfolio of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has been reassigned to the controversial Giriraj Singh, who was promoted to the rank of minister of state with Independent charge of the same ministry in which he was earlier Mishra’s junior, ministers like Vijay Goel and Bandaru Dattatreya who enjoyed key responsibilities under the Vajpayee government were big losers on Sunday.

Goel, who was earlier MoS with independent charge of the Sports ministry will now be junior minister for Parliamentary Affairs; Statistics and Programme Implementation. The charge of the Youth Affairs and Sports ministry has been given to Rajyavardhan Rathore, who has been promoted to MoS independent charge with additional responsibility of being junior minister for Information and Broadcasting. Dattatreya, who was minister for Labour has been summarily dropped from the Cabinet.

Newly inducted minister RK Singh has been given independent charge of Power, New and Renewable Energy (earlier headed by Piyush Goyal), while Manoj Sinha has been elevated to MoS independent charge and will head the Communications ministry while continuing to serve as junior minister for railways.

The responsibilities of the other newly inducted ministers of state is as follows: Shiv Pratap Shukla – Finance, Ashwini Kumar Choubey – Health and Family Welfare, Virendra Kumar – Women and Child Development; Minority Affairs, Anantkumar Hegde – Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat – Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Satya Pal Singh – HRD, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

Contrary to speculation, the Prime Minister has not reduced the burden of several ministers who were expected to shed the additional charge of ministries that they were asked to head in recent months, nor has he weeded out some obvious non-performing and controversial ministers like Radha Mohan Singh, who will continue to serve as the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

Although Arun Jaitley has, on expected lines, shed his additional responsibility of the Defence portfolio, Smriti Irani retains the charge of both Information and Broadcasting and Textile ministries.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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IPS Officer Nupur Prasad gets Medal for Meritorious Service after Sushant Singh Rajput probe

IPS officer Nupur Prasad, who led the CBI investigation into Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, has been selected for the Medal for Meritorious Service this year.

Published

20 hours ago

August 15, 2026

APNLive Desk

IPS officer Nupur Prasad, who led the CBI investigation into actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, has been recognised with the Medal for Meritorious Service (MSM) this year.

A 2007-batch AGMUT cadre officer, Ms Prasad recently returned to the Delhi Police after completing her tenure with the CBI. She is currently serving as Joint Commissioner of Police in the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), where she oversees investigations involving financial and economic crimes.

The award is part of this year’s recognition for police personnel for distinguished and meritorious service. Such honours recognise contributions in areas including investigation, crime prevention, public service, law and order and administration.

Nupur Prasad’s role in Sushant Singh Rajput case

Ms Prasad came into national focus during the CBI investigation into the death of Sushant Singh Rajput, who was found dead at his Mumbai residence on June 14, 2020.

The case was transferred to the CBI in August 2020 following a complaint by the actor’s family and a legal dispute over jurisdiction.

During her tenure with the agency, Ms Prasad supervised key aspects of the investigation, including the examination of witness statements, forensic evidence and medical records.

In 2025, the CBI filed closure reports, saying its investigation found no evidence of foul play, abetment to suicide or criminal conspiracy in the actor’s death.

Career across Delhi Police, CBI

Ms Prasad has served in several positions during her career, including assignments in the Delhi Police, CBI, Arunachal Pradesh and West Bengal.

Before joining the CBI, she held senior positions in the Delhi Police and became the first Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) of Shahdara. During her tenure, she worked on establishing the district’s policing framework following its creation.

She also led operations targeting drug networks and illegal gambling activities while focusing on crime-prevention measures.

Later, as DCP of North Delhi, she oversaw security arrangements for major events, including Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort and Delhi University elections.

Community-focused policing initiatives

Beyond investigations, Ms Prasad has been associated with community-focused programmes involving women’s self-defence, youth development, cyber safety and drug de-addiction.

During her CBI tenure, she was also associated with several prominent investigations. Media reports have linked her to cases concerning businessman Vijay Mallya and the AgustaWestland helicopter deal.

Current role in Delhi Police

After completing her assignment with the CBI, Ms Prasad returned to the Delhi Police and took charge as Joint Commissioner of Police in the Economic Offences Wing.

The latest recognition adds to her career spanning investigations, policing and public service across several challenging assignments.

India News

Kharge, Rahul Gandhi skip Independence Day event for 2nd straight year

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi skipped the 80th Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort for the second consecutive year.

Published

21 hours ago

August 15, 2026

APNLive Desk

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi skipped the 80th Independence Day celebrations at Delhi’s Red Fort for the second consecutive year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the Independence Day celebrations at the historic venue on Saturday.

The absence of the two senior Congress leaders comes amid strained relations between the ruling party and the Opposition, which further deteriorated during the Monsoon Session of Parliament that concluded on Thursday.

2024 seating controversy

Rahul Gandhi had attended the Independence Day celebrations in 2024 but his seating arrangement triggered a controversy. The Congress leader, who holds the status of a Cabinet minister as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, was seated in the second-last row during the ceremony at the Red Fort.

The Opposition had criticised the seating arrangement, calling it an insult to the people. The Defence Ministry, which organised the event, said the arrangement had been modified to accommodate Olympians at the venue.

According to protocol, the Leader of the Opposition is seated in the front row during ceremonial events.

Opposition-ruling party tensions

Relations between the government and the Opposition remained tense during the Monsoon Session, which ended on Thursday.

The session saw repeated clashes between the two sides, with both the Opposition and the ruling party blaming each other for the low productivity of Parliament.

The session began on July 20, with students marching towards Parliament on the first day. Twelve bills were passed during the session, while detailed discussion took place on only one legislation, concerning paper leaks.

The Congress, along with the Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party, also boycotted the customary tea party hosted by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla after the House was adjourned sine die.

India News

PM Modi’s Saptadhara Vision: 7 streams driving India’s next growth phase

PM Modi outlined “Shakti Ki Saptadhara”, identifying seven streams including manufacturing, farming, technology, defence, green energy and soft power.

Published

21 hours ago

August 15, 2026

APNLive Desk

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day address from the Red Fort on Saturday, outlined “Shakti Ki Saptadhara”, describing seven key streams that he said can drive India’s next phase of growth and strengthen its journey towards self-reliance and development.

The seven streams identified by the Prime Minister are manufacturing, farming, technology, Gatishakti, Raksha Shakti, green and blue economy, and soft power.

Calling on the country to focus on these areas, PM Modi said the seven streams represent India’s strength and can help the country become more self-reliant.

Manufacturing as the engine of growth

PM Modi called manufacturing the first stream of Saptadhara and stressed the need to significantly strengthen the sector.

He said India needs to produce both components and complete products and should emerge as a key destination in global supply chains.

The Prime Minister highlighted cost, quality and scale as important factors for Indian manufacturers to compete globally. He also stressed the importance of attractive packaging and precision in manufacturing.

Farming and food processing

Agriculture and food processing were identified as the second stream.

PM Modi said global markets are increasingly accessible to Indian farmers and called for greater efforts to take agricultural products from farms to international markets.

He highlighted traditional foods, millets, spices, fruits and vegetables, saying these products should be developed into global brands.

Technology and innovation

Technology and innovation form the third stream of Saptadhara, according to PM Modi.

He highlighted areas such as data centres, robotics and emerging technologies, saying India should aim to become a hub for these sectors.

Referring to the country’s experience with UPI and Digital Public Infrastructure, PM Modi said India has already demonstrated its technological capabilities and must now take the next leap in next-generation communication technology.

He also spoke about the goal of Made-in-India 6G reaching across the country.

Gatishakti and faster connectivity

The fourth stream is Gatishakti, with the Prime Minister stressing the importance of speed and connectivity for India’s growth.

PM Modi called for greater emphasis on roads and expressways to support businesses and said the country needs seamless, high-speed connectivity.

He also highlighted high-speed rail connectivity between cities and port-led development as areas requiring greater focus.

Raksha Shakti and self-reliant defence

Defence is the fifth stream of Saptadhara.

PM Modi called for greater self-reliance in defence manufacturing and highlighted the need to develop advanced technologies in the sector.

He particularly stressed the importance of drone and counter-drone technology, saying India needs to invest in these areas.

The Prime Minister also said India should move beyond being a market for defence equipment and work towards becoming a global supplier by developing next-generation defence technologies.

Green and blue economy

Green energy forms the sixth stream of Saptadhara.

PM Modi called for greater innovation in green energy and said India should aim for global leadership in green hydrogen, renewable energy and energy storage while continuing to contribute solutions to global challenges.

He also highlighted opportunities in the Blue Economy, particularly in fisheries, coastal tourism and ocean technology, saying these areas can create new pathways for India’s growth.

Soft power

Soft power is the seventh stream identified by PM Modi.

He cited Yoga, handicrafts, films, animation, gaming, digital content and the creative sector as examples of India’s soft power.

The Prime Minister also highlighted India’s potential to attract global tourists and called for greater focus on the country’s tourism opportunities, including its national parks and other attractions.

With “Shakti Ki Saptadhara”, PM Modi outlined a broad growth framework covering manufacturing and agriculture, emerging technology, connectivity, defence, sustainable energy, the blue economy and India’s cultural and creative influence.