‘Don’t view minister through the prism of gender’
Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the surprise pick of Sunday’s reshuffle of the Union council of ministers, has her task cut out and her appointment should not be seen through the prism of gender, senior serving and retired officers said. The 58-year-old Sitharaman is the first woman to be the full-time defence minister of the country after Indira Gandhi held the portfolio 35 years ago when she was also the prime minister.
“I don’t think it should be seen as a move to empower women. That’s good but not an end in itself. The ultimate goal is to empower the armed forces,” said former IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha during whose term the government ended a rigid gender-based combat exclusion policy in the air force two years ago.
Sitharaman’s appointment comes at a time when India’s first female pilots are preparing to fly warplanes after they complete the last leg of their training later this month. Raha said a key test for Sitharaman would be to introduce accountability for all stake holders.
“When you talk about defence acquisition or defence finance wings, they are important stakeholders but have no accountability. She will have to ensure decisions are outcome based and not process based,” Raha said. The main challenges that the new minister will face include modernising the military, ushering in big-ticket reforms, managing volatile borders and arranging funds for big buys.
“Weapon buys can’t be seen as just commercial transactions. We can’t lose sight of what is good for the country strategically… Women by nature are very determined and if she can work with the same efficiency as she did in her previous ministry, things will change in the defence ministry,” Raha said.