Vision Academy EducareVision Academy Educare
Question 109 of 113 · Firsts in India & World
Questioneasy
This question was previously asked in

State PCS

Who was the first Defence Minister of independent India?

Answer View answer ▾

Answer: Option B — Sardar Baldev Singh

Detailed Solution

Sardar Baldev Singh (1902-1961) was the first Defence Minister of independent India. He held the post in Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet from 15 August 1947 to 1952. He had earlier been the Defence Member in the Interim Government formed in September 1946.

About Baldev Singh:

  • He was born in Dumna, in Ropar district (now Rupnagar), Punjab.
  • He was an industrialist and a Sikh political leader, associated with the Panthic Party and the Akali movement.
  • He served as the Development Minister in the Punjab government before independence.
  • He represented the Sikhs in the negotiations with the British Cabinet Mission (1946) and in the talks on the transfer of power and Partition.
  • He was a member of the Constituent Assembly.

As Defence Minister, he oversaw the division of the armed forces between India and Pakistan after Partition, and the first India-Pakistan war over Kashmir (1947-48), which ended with a UN-brokered ceasefire on 1 January 1949.

Some later Defence Ministers:

  • K. Krishna Menon (1957-1962): he resigned after India's defeat in the 1962 war with China.
  • B. Chavan (1962-1966): Defence Minister during the 1965 war with Pakistan.
  • Jagjivan Ram (1970-1974): Defence Minister during the 1971 war, which led to the creation of Bangladesh.
  • Indira Gandhi held the Defence portfolio as an additional charge as Prime Minister.
  • Nirmala Sitharaman (2017-2019): the first full-time woman Defence Minister.
  • Rajnath Singh: Defence Minister since 2019.

Other firsts in Nehru's first cabinet:

  • Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel: Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister.
  • Maulana Abul Kalam Azad: Education Minister.

Dr B. R. Ambedkar: Law Minister.

  • K. Shanmukham Chetty: Finance Minister.

Rajkumari Amrit Kaur: Health Minister.

Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee: Industry and Supply Minister.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗K. Krishna Menon was Defence Minister during the 1962 war.
  • ✗Jagjivan Ram was Defence Minister during the 1971 war.
  • ✗B. Chavan was Defence Minister during the 1965 war.

Quick tip

Remember: First Defence Minister = Sardar Baldev Singh (1947-52); 1962 war = Krishna Menon; 1965 war = Y. B. Chavan; 1971 war = Jagjivan Ram; first full-time woman = Nirmala Sitharaman.

💬 Discussions on this question

Ask a doubt ›

Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.

Ask a doubt

More Firsts in India & World Questions

View all ›
  1. Q1.Who was the first Chief Justice of India?
  2. Q2.Who was the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal?
  3. Q3.Who was the first woman of Indian origin to go to space?
  4. Q4.Who was the first Indian to win an Oscar (Academy Award)?
  5. Q5.Who was the first President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA)?

More General Knowledge Questions

  1. Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
  2. Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
  3. Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
  4. Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
  5. Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms

Firsts in India & World — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Firsts in India & World, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers the first persons and events in India and the world: the first Indian to win a Nobel Prize, the first woman to hold major offices, the first to climb Everest or reach space, and India's first institutions, newspapers, railways and satellites. It also covers the largest, longest, highest and smallest records in India and the world. These are pure memory questions, so revise them as short lists by theme: first women, first in sports, first in science and space, and first in governance. Be careful with the exact wording, such as 'first Indian' versus 'first person of Indian origin', or 'first woman President' versus 'first woman Prime Minister', since options are often designed to exploit this. Practise the firsts in India and the world questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

‹ All Firsts in India & World questionsBrowse all topics ›