The Government of India exercises its executive authority through several government ministries or departments of state. A ministry is composed of employed officials, known as civil servants, and is politically accountable through a minister. Most major ministries are headed by a Cabinet Minister, who sits in the Union Council of Ministers, and is typically supported by a team of junior ministers called the Ministers of State. A union minister is also known as a cabinet minister.
Some ministries have subdivisions called departments. For example, the Ministry of Communications has two departments - the Department of Telecommunications and the Department of Posts.
Current Ministries There are Union ministries and departments in India.
MinistryEstablishedCabinet MinisterAgriculture and Farmers' Welfare1947Shivraj Singh ChouhanAyush2014Prataprao JadhavChemicals and Fertilizers1991J. P. NaddaCivil Aviation1947Kinjarapu Ram Mohan NaiduCoal1973G. Kishan ReddyCommerce and Industry1947Piyush GoyalCommunications2016Jyotiraditya ScindiaConsumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution1946Pralhad JoshiCo-operation2021Amit ShahCorporate Affairs2003Nirmala SitharamanCulture1999Gajendra Singh ShekhawatDefence1947Rajnath SinghDevelopment of North Eastern Region2003Jyotiraditya ScindiaEarth Sciences2006Dr. Jitendra Singh (Independent Charge)Education1947Pralhad Joshi (Additional Charge)Electronics and Information Technology2016Ashwini VaishnawEnvironment, Forests and Climate Change1985Bhupender YadavExternal Affairs1946S. JaishankarFinance1946Nirmala SitharamanFisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying2019Lalan SinghFood Processing Industries1988Chirag PaswanHealth and Family Welfare1947J. P. NaddaHeavy Industries2021H. D. KumaraswamyHome Affairs1947Amit ShahHousing and Urban Affairs2017Manohar Lal KhattarInformation and Broadcasting1947Ashwini VaishnawJal Shakti2019C. R. PatilLabour and Employment1947Mansukh MandaviyaLaw and Justice1947Arjun Ram Meghwal (Independent Charge)Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises2007Jitan Ram ManjhiMines1957G. Kishan ReddyMinority Affairs2006Kiren RijijuNew and Renewable Energy1992Pralhad JoshiPanchayati Raj2004Lalan SinghParliamentary Affairs1949Kiren RijijuPersonnel, Public Grievances and Pensions1970Narendra Modi (Additional Charge)Petroleum and Natural Gas1991Hardeep Singh PuriPlanning2014Rao Inderjit Singh (Independent Charge)Ports, Shipping and Waterways1947Sarbananda SonowalPower1992Manohar LalPrime Minister's Office1977Narendra Modi (Additional Charge)Railways1947Ashwini VaishnawRoad Transport and Highways1942Nitin GadkariRural Development1980Shivraj Singh ChouhanScience and Technology1971Dr. Jitendra Singh (Independent Charge)Skill Development and Entrepreneurship2014Jayant ChaudharySocial Justice and Empowerment1985Virendra Kumar KhatikStatistics and Programme Implementation1999 Rao Inderjit Singh (Independent Charge)Steel1957H. D. KumaraswamyTextiles1958Giriraj SinghTourism1999Gajendra Singh ShekhawatTribal Affairs1999Jual OramWomen and Child Development1985Annpurna DeviYouth Affairs and Sports2000Mansukh Mandaviya
Former ministries The following ministries once functioned, but have since become defunct, generally because of a merger with another ministry or division into new ministries.
Ministry nameEstablishedDefunctFateAgriculture August 19471 February 1951Merged to constitute the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.Food29 August 1947Food and Agriculture1 February 1951October 1956Bifurcated into the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Food.AgricultureOctober 195617 April 1957Merged once again to form the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.FoodFood and Agriculture17 April 1957January 1966Merged with the Ministry of Community Development and Cooperation to form the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Community Development and Cooperation. The new ministry was renamed the Ministry of Agriculture in 1971, with four departments.AgricultureJanuary 19661983The Department of Food was separated from the ministry and elevated to the new Ministry of Food and Civil Supplies.Food and Civil Supplies1983June 1991Bifurcated into the Ministry of Food and the Ministry of Civil Supplies.FoodJune 19914 June 1997Merged to form Ministry of Food and Consumer Affairs with three departments - Department of Food & Civil Supplies, Department of Sugar and Edible Oils and Department of Consumer Affairs. On 15 October 1999, the new ministry was renamed as the Ministry of Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution, having the same three departments. On 17 July 2000, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution was renamed as the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, with two departments - Department of Food & Public Distribution and Department of Consumer Affairs.Civil SuppliesNational Resources and Scientific Research1951Irrigation and Power1952November 1974Bifurcated into a separate Department of Irrigation under the reconstituted Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, and a separate ministry.Agriculture and IrrigationNovember 197422 July 1980Following the formation of the Ministry of Irrigation in June 1980, three items of work were transferred from the ministry to the new ministry, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation was renamed the Ministry of Agriculture.Energy and IrrigationJanuary 19809 June 1980Bifurcated into the Ministry of Energy and the Department of Irrigation (which was brought under the ministry in January 1980) was elevated to the new Ministry of Irrigation.Irrigation9 June 1980January 1985Merged with the Ministry of Power to once again, form the Ministry of Irrigation and Power.Irrigation and PowerJanuary 1985September 1985Bifurcated into the Ministry of Power and the Department of Irrigation was re-constituted as the Ministry of Water Resources. On 31 July 2014, the Ministry of Water Resources was renamed as Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation.Surface Transport22 October 198617 November 2000Bifurcated into the Ministry of Shipping and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.Small Scale Industries and Agro and Rural IndustriesOctober 1999September 2001Bifurcated into the Ministry of Agro and Rural Industries and the Ministry of Small Scale Industries.Agro and Rural IndustriesSeptember 2001 2007Merged with the Ministry of Small Scale Industries to form the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.Small Scale IndustriesSeptember 20012007Merged with the Ministry of Agro and Rural Industries to form the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.Overseas Indian AffairsMay 20047 January 2016Merged with the Ministry of External AffairsCommunications and Information Technology (India)August 19475 July 2016Bifurcated into the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Ministry of Communications (India)Drinking Water and Sanitation201130 May 2019Merged with the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation and formed Ministry of Jal ShaktiWater Resources, River Development & Ganga RejuvenationSeptember 198530 May 2019Merged with Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation to form Ministry of Jal Shakti constituted with Department of Water Resources and Department of Drinking Water and SanitationMinistry of Urban Development7 July 2017Ministry of Housing and Urban AffairsMinister of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation7 July 20177 July 2017Ministry Of Housing and Urban Affairs
Independent departments These are independent departments working under the direct supervision of the Prime Minister's Office.
Department of Atomic Energy Department of Space
See also List of agencies of the government of India Union Council of Ministers
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