The Government of India exercises its executive authority through a number of 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 also known as cabinet minister.
Some ministries have subdivisions called departments. For example, the Ministry of Communications has two departments - the Department of Telecommunications and Department of Posts.
There are 54 Union ministries and 93 departments in India.[1]
These are independent departments working under the direct supervision of the Prime Minister's Office.
The following ministries once functioned, but have since become defunct, generally because of a merger with another ministry or division into new ministries.
| Ministry name | Established | Defunct | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture | August 1947 | 1 February 1951 | Merged to constitute the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.[2] |
| Food | 29 August 1947 | ||
| Food and Agriculture | 1 February 1951 | October 1956 | Bifurcated into the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Food. |
| Agriculture | October 1956 | 17 April 1957 | Merged once again to form the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.[2] |
| Food | |||
| Food and Agriculture | 17 April 1957 | January 1966 | Merged 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.[2] |
| Agriculture | January 1966 | 1983 | The Department of Food was separated from the ministry, and elevated to the new Ministry of Food and Civil Supplies.[2] |
| Food and Civil Supplies | 1983 | June 1991 | Bifurcated into the Ministry of Food and the Ministry of Civil Supplies.[2] |
| Food | June 1991 | 4 June 1997 | Merged 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.[2] |
| Civil Supplies | |||
| National Resources and Scientific Research | 1951 | [3] | |
| Irrigation and Power | 1952 | November 1974 | Bifurcated into a separate Department of Irrigation under the reconstituted Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, and a separate ministry.[3] |
| Agriculture and Irrigation | November 1974 | 22 July 1980 | Following 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.[3] |
| Energy and Irrigation | January 1980 | 9 June 1980 | Bifurcated 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.[3] |
| Irrigation | 9 June 1980 | January 1985 | Merged with the Ministry of Power to once again, form the Ministry of Irrigation and Power.[3] |
| Irrigation and Power | January 1985 | September 1985 | Bifurcated 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.[3] |
| Surface Transport | 22 October 1986 | 17 November 2000 | Bifurcated into the Ministry of Shipping and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. |
| Small Scale Industries and Agro and Rural Industries | October 1999 | September 2001 | Bifurcated into the Ministry of Agro and Rural Industries and the Ministry of Small Scale Industries. |
| Agro and Rural Industries | September 2001 | 2007 | Merged with the Ministry of Small Scale Industries to form the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. |
| Small Scale Industries | September 2001 | 2007 | Merged with the Ministry of Agro and Rural Industries to form the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. |
| Overseas Indian Affairs | May 2004 | 7 January
2016 |
Merged with the Ministry of External Affairs |
| Communications and Information Technology (India) | August 1947 | 5 July 2016 | Bifurcated into the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Ministry of Communications (India) |
| Drinking Water and Sanitation | 2011 | 30 May 2019 | Merged with the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation and formed Ministry of Jal Shakti |
| Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation | September 1985 | 30 May 2019 | Merged 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 Sanitation |
| Ministry of Urban Development | 07 July 2017 | Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs | |
| Minister of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation | 07 July 2017 | 07 July 2017 | Ministry Of Housing and Urban Affairs |