Defense Minister of India 2024
The Defense Minister is the head of the Ministry of Defense of the Government of India. The Defense Minister additionally serves as the President of the Institute of Defense Studies and the Institute, as the Vice-Chancellor of the Defense Institute of Technology and the National Defense University. The first Defense Minister of independent India was Baldev Singh, who served in the cabinet of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru during 1947–52. Rajnath Singh is the current Defense Minister of India.
Ministry of Defense (India):
The main function of the Ministry of Defense is to formulate policy directions on matters relating to defense and security and transmit them to the headquarters of the Security Forces, Inter-Service Organisations, Defense Product Establishments and R. D. Organizations. It is also their job to implement the policy directions of the government effectively and keeping in mind the allocated resources.
The Ministry of Defense is a combination of four departments. This includes the Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Defense Excise (DDP), Department of Defense Research and Development (DDRD) and Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare and Finance.
Major Functions of the Ministry of Defence :
- The Department of Defense carries out the responsibilities of the Integrated Defense Staff and the three Services and various inter-service organisations. Defense budget, establishment work, defense policy, issues related to Parliament, defense cooperation with foreign countries and coordination of all activities are the responsibilities of this department.
- It is headed by the Principal Secretary of the Department of Defense Production and deals with the functions of Defense Production, Indigenization of Imported Stock, Equipment and Spare Parts and Arms Factory Board and control of Departmental Production Units of Public Sector Defense Enterprises.
- The Department of Defence, Research and Development is headed by a Principal Secretary who is also an advisor to the Defense Minister. Its task is to make plans for research, design and development related to the scientific aspect of military equipment, operations and equipment used by the army.
- The Department of Ex-Servicemen/Defence Personnel Welfare is headed by an Additional Secretary. It is responsible for the execution of issues related to pensionable ex-servicemen, ex-employees health scheme, re-employment and the Directorate General of Kendriya Sainik Board and pension rules of the three defense services.
Current Defense Minister of India 2024:
Rajnath Singh is the current Defense Minister of India. She was the Minister of Home Affairs of India from 26 May 2014 to 30 May 2019, before becoming Defense Minister on 31 May 2019 Nirmala Sitharaman was India's first full-time woman Defense Minister before Rajnath Singh, although Indira Gandhi served as Prime Minister in additional He took over this ministry as an assignment. Rajnath Singh has also been the former president of the current ruling party Bharatiya Janata Party.
List of Defense Ministers of India: (1947-2024):
| Name of Railway Minister | tenure | |
| Baldev Singh | 15 August 1947 | May 15, 1952 |
| N.Gopalaswami Iyengar | May 13, 1952 | 10 February 1953 |
| Jawaharlal Nehru (Prime Minister) | 27 January 1953 | 10 January 1955 |
| Dr. Kailash Nath Katju | 10 January 1955 | 30 January 1957 |
| Jawaharlal Nehru (Prime Minister) | 30 January 1957 | 17 April 1957 |
| V. K. Krishna Menon | 17 April 1957 | 01 November 1962 |
| Jawahar Lal Nehru (Prime Minister) | 01 November 1962 | 21 November 1962 |
| Y B Chauhan | 21 November 1962 | 13 November 1966 |
| Sardar Swarna Singh | 13 November 1966 | June 27, 1970 |
| Jagjivan Ram | June 27, 1970 | 10 October 1974 |
| Sardar Swaran Singh | 10 October 1974 | 01 December 1975 |
| Indira Gandhi (Prime Minister) | 01 December 1975 | 21 December 1975 |
| Bansi Lal | 21 December 1975 | 24 March 1977 |
| Jagjivan Ram | 28 March 1977 | 27 July 1979 |
| C. Subramaniam | July 30, 1970 | 14 January 1980 |
| Indira Gandhi (Prime Minister) | 14 January 1980 | 15 January 1982 |
| R Venkataraman | 15 January 1982 | 01 August 1984 |
| S. B. Chauhan | 01 August 1984 | 31 December 1984 |
| P. V. Narasimha Rao | January 01, 1985 | September 24 1985 |
| Rajiv Gandhi (Prime Minister) | September 25, 1985 | 24 January 1987 |
| V. P. Singh | 15 January 1987 | 12 April 1987 |
| K. C. Pant | 18 April 1987 | 03 December 1989 |
| V. P. Singh (Prime Minister) | 06 December 1989 | 10 November 1990 |
| Chandra Shekhar (Prime Minister) | 21 November 1990 | June 20, 1991 |
| P. V. Narasimha Rao (Prime Minister) | June 21, 1991 | June 25, 1991 |
| Sharad Pawar | 26 June 1991 | 05 March 1993 |
| P. V. Narasimha Rao (Prime Minister) | 05 March 1993 | May 16, 1996 |
| Pramod Mahajan | May 17, 1996 | May 31, 1996 |
| Mulayam Singh Yadav | June 01, 1996 | March 19, 1998 |
| George Fernandez | March 19, 1998 | 15 March 2001 |
| Jaswant Singh | 16 March 2001 | 14 October 2001 |
| George Fernandez | 15 October 2001 | May 22, 2004 |
| Pranab Mukherjee | May 23, 2004 | 24 October 2006 |
| A. K. Antony | 25 October 2006 | May 26, 2014 |
| Arun Jaitley | May 27, 2014 | 08 November 2014 |
| Manohar Parrikar | November 09, 2014 | March 13, 2017 |
| Arun Jaitley | March 13, 2017 | September 03, 2017 |
| Nirmala Sitharaman | September 03, 2017 | May 31, 2019 |
| Rajnath Singh | May 31, 2019 | deputy |
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