A biography for Nirmala Sitharamanhasn’t been written yet.
“The BJP does not intend to use Parliament to project Congress's corruption.”
“We should be proud of the soldiers who laid down their lives for our motherland. We should be proud of them.”
“Every year, I have given Rs 20,000 crore worth of projects to HAL. But the previous UPA government gave just Rs 10,000 crore projects.”
“Obviously, defence is very sensitive and very challenging ministry.”
“The government doesn't go about refuting everything that floats around.”
“Nobody has a right to call me or the prime minister a thief and a liar.”
“Dassault could not progress in the negotiations with HAL because if the aircraft were to be produced in India, a guarantee for the product to be produced was to be given. It is a big ticket item, and the IAF would want the guarantee for the jets. HAL was in no position to give the guarantee.”
“We want our exports to perform better. We want more exports. We want to reach out to more countries selling our products, and for that, a weaker rupee will be anytime better.”
“Our manufacturing in India has grown with a lot of indigenous strength.”
“Free trade agreements are never for one sector alone.”
“The strategy of any party would be to see how best it can defeat the party in power.”
“I understand that the rupee is fairly market determined.”
“France has been maintaining a very special relationship with India on defence matters.”
“With South East Asian nations, ASEAN countries, with some of them, we do have defence cooperation, and we continue with them.”
“It's one thing to get the money apportioned in the budget; the other is to utilise it completely.”
“Post globalisation, the debate has been, 'How much more are we going to liberalise?'”
“We will ensure that the important characters of what make 'Make in India' an important flagship programme for PM Modi is given full play for defence production. 'Make in India' needs to take over so we benefit from what is manufactured in India and finds an international market.”
“The challenge we face as a government is meeting expectations - not specific expectations, but the larger expectations: things that need to be changed and that Narendra Modi will do it as though he has a magic wand.”
“The government took a decision to implement 'One Rank, One Pension' for defence personnel in 2015 and promised to pay arrears in four instalments. I can say that all OROP arrears have been cleared, with over Rs 10,788 crore being spent.”
“For a country like India, which, unlike China, has domestic market for which manufacturing happens, manufacturing also happens for export.”