The minister of communications () is the head of the

Ministry of Communications A Communications Ministry or Department of Communications is a ministry or other government agency charged with communication. Communications responsibilities include regulating telecommunications, postal services, broadcasting and print media. The ...

and a senior member of the

union council of ministers The Union Council of Ministers is the Cabinet (government), principal executive organ of the Government of India, which serves to aid and advise the President of India in execution of their functions.Article 74 of the ''Constitution of India' ...

of the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

. The portfolio is usually held by a minister with cabinet rank who is a senior member of the council of ministers and is often assisted by one or two junior ministers or the ministers of state. The current minister is

Jyotiraditya Scindia Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia (born 1 January 1971; ) is an Indian politician who is the 43rd Minister of Communications (India), Union Minister of Communications and the 10th Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, Minister of Devel ...

who has been serving in office since 10 June 2024 and is currently assisted by Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani as the minister of state for communications. One former president -

Shankar Dayal Sharma Shankar Dayal Sharma (; 19 August 1918 – 26 December 1999) was an Indian lawyer and politician who served as the President of India from 1992 to 1997. Born in Bhopal, Sharma studied at Agra, Allahabad and Lucknow and received a doctorate i ...

served as minister in the ministry. Sharma was Cabinet minister for communications from 1974 until 1977. Two former prime ministers,

Lal Bahadur Shastri Lal Bahadur Shastri (; born Lal Bahadur Srivastava; 2 October 190411 January 1966) was an Indian politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1964 to 1966. He previously served as Minister ...

and Inder Kumar Gujral also served as ministers in the ministry. Shastri was Cabinet minister for transport and communications from 1957 until 1958, while Gujral was minister of state for communications from 1967 until 1971.

History

The Ministry of Communications came into existence soon after India's independence in the

First Nehru ministry After power transformation, on 15 August 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru assumed office as the first Prime Minister of India and chose fifteen ministers to form the First Nehru ministry. Background The Constituent Assembly was set up while India was st ...

formed on 15 August 1947. Rafi Ahmed Kidwai was appointed as the first minister of communications and served until 1951. The ministry was merged with the

Ministry of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government a ...

to form the "Ministry of Transport and Communications" on 17 April 1957 in the

Third Nehru ministry The Third Jawaharlal Nehru ministry was formed on 17 April 1957 after the Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political p ...

was appointed as the minister in the newly-formed ministry. The ministry was bifurcated on 31 August 1963 into the Ministry of Transport and the Department of Posts and Telegraphs. The "Department of Posts and Telegraphs" became the Ministry of Communications on 13 May 1964. On 22 December 2001, the Ministry of Communications and the Ministry of Information Technology were merged to form the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. The ministry was further bifurcated on 5 July 2016 into the Ministry of Communications and the

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITy) is an executive agency of the Government of India, Union Government of the India, Republic of India. It was carved out of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (I ...

. The two ministries have since then existed independently.

Agencies

* India Post Payments Bank

Cabinet ministers

Ministers of state

Deputy ministers

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Communications (India) Minister Union ministers of India 2016 establishments in India Lists of government ministers of India Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (India)