NEW DELHI, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- India's first full-time woman Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman formally assumed charge of the ministry Thursday.
"I will be the Defense Minister round-the-clock," 58-year-old Sitharaman told the media after taking over from her predecessor, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who held the additional charge of the defense portfolio for the past five months.
Spelling out her priorities, the new defense minister said she would ensure armed forces preparedness, speedy implementation of defense deals and defense production with focus on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Make in India" initiative.
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