Nirmala Sitharaman broke the proverbial glass-ceiling when she became India’s first woman Defence Minister. Now she is all set to fly in the Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter aircraft on Wednesday (Jan 17).
Third Indian on Sukhoi
News agency ANI sources said Sitharaman will fly in the supersonic jet. She will be the third Indian to do so. Others who flew in it are MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar.
Sitharaman would be the first full-time woman defence minister to fly the sortie. She will take off in the two-seater twin-engine fighter jet from an airbase in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
The fighter jet is to be included in the operations of the armed forces.
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Reviewing defence preparedness
Earlier this month, Sitharaman visited INS Vikramaditya to review the ongoing action of the Indian Navy. The minister is leaving no stone unturned to make sure there’s no blockage in naval operations. Sitharaman has now focused her attention on the IAF with the Sukhoi Su-30 MKI sortie.
During the reshuffle of portfolios, PM Narendra Modi has put two women in the crucial cabinet committee on security. While Sitharaman is one, the other is Sushma Swaraj, Minister for External Affairs.
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Before taking up the reins as Defence Minister, Sitharaman was in the commerce ministry. The defence minister's post fell vacant after Manohar Parrikar took charge as Goa chief minister.
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The Sukhoi-30 MKI has been acquired from Russia. It is one of the most qualified fighter jets of the Indian Air Force (IAF).
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