Minister of Defence (India)
The minister of defence is the head of the Ministry of Defence and a high-ranking minister of the Government of India. The defence minister is one of the most senior portfolios in the Union Cabinet, as well as being a high-level minister in the Union Cabinet.
The defence minister additionally serves as president of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, and as chancellor of the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology and of the National Defence University. The individual is usually a member of Cabinet Committee on Security.
The first defence minister of independent India was Baldev Singh Chokkar, who served in Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet during 1947–52. A. K. Antony is the longest serving defence minister in history from 26 October 2006 till 26 May 2014. Rajnath Singh is the current defence minister serving from 30 May 2019 till date.