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The Cabinet Ministers of India constitute the key decision-making body within the government, led by the Prime Minister. Comprising senior members of the ruling party or coalition, these ministers head various ministries responsible for specific sectors such as finance, defence, and external affairs. Each Cabinet Minister oversees policy formulation, implementation, and governance within their respective domains. Appointed by the Prime Minister, these ministers play a crucial role in shaping national policies, addressing challenges, and driving the socio-economic development of the country. The composition of the Cabinet reflects the diversity of expertise needed to address the multifaceted needs of a vast and complex nation. Read this article to get an Updated List of Union Council of Ministers 2024 below.
Cabinet Ministers of India
The Cabinet Ministers of India is a subgroup of the Union Council of Ministers. The Union Council of Ministers is the principal executive body of the Government of India. Cabinet Ministers of India are in charge of making important decisions for the executive branch. The Prime Minister of India chairs the council. Cabinet Ministers of India is the supreme executive body of the Government of India which holds the most significant and powerful positions and ministries. Cabinet Ministers of India are appointed from the winning political party’ Member of Parliament and assigned different portfolios. The Union Council of Ministers is the principal executive organ of the Government of India, which functions as the senior decision-making body of the executive branch. It is chaired by the prime minister and consists of the heads of each of the executive government ministries.
List of Cabinet Ministers of India 2024
The current strength of the 17th Lok Sabha is 543 members, and hence, the Council of Ministers cannot have more than 81. As per the Constitution of India, the total strength of the Council of Ministers cannot exceed 15% of the total number of Lok Sabha MPs.
On July 7, 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reshuffled his cabinet for the first time since May 2019. After the reshuffling, there are 28 Cabinet Ministers, 45 Ministers of State and 3 Ministers of State (Independent Charge) in the 2023 Council of Ministers. Here is the updated complete List of Cabinet Ministers of India in the current Union Council of Minister:
Cabinet Ministers | Portfolio |
Shri Raj Nath Singh | Minister of Defence |
Shri Amit Shah | Minister of Home Affairs; and Minister of Cooperation |
Shri Nitin Jairam Gadkari | Minister of Road Transport and Highways |
Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman | Minister of Finance; and Minister of Corporate Affairs |
Shri Arjun Munda | Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare; and Tribal Affairs |
Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar | Minister of External Affairs |
Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani | Minister of Women and Child Development; and Minister of Minority Affairs |
Shri Piyush Goyal | Minister of Commerce and Industry; Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution; and Minister of Textiles |
Shri Dharmendra Pradhan | Minister of Education; and Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship |
Shri Pralhad Joshi | Minister of Parliamentary Affairs; Minister of Coal; and Minister of Mines |
Shri Narayan Tatu Rane | Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises |
Shri Sarbananda Sonowal | Minister of AYUSH; Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways |
Dr. Virendra Kumar | Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment |
Shri Giriraj Singh | Minister of Rural Development; and Minister of Panchayati Raj |
Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia | Minister of Civil Aviation; and Minister of Steel |
Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw | Minister of Railways; Minister of Communications; and Minister of Electronics and Information Technology |
Shri Pashu Pati Kumar Paras | Minister of Food Processing Industries |
Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat | Minister of Jal Shakti |
Shri Raj Kumar Singh | Minister of Power; and Minister of New and Renewable Energy |
Shri Hardeep Singh Puri | Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas; and Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs |
Shri Mansukh Mandaviya | Minister of Health and Family Welfare; and Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers |
Shri Bhupender Yadav | Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; and Minister of Labour and Employment |
Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey | Minister of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises |
Shri Parshottam Rupala | Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying |
Shri G. Kishan Reddy | Minister of Culture; Minister of Tourism; and Minister of Development of North Eastern Region |
Shri Anurag Singh Thakur | Minister of Information and Broadcasting; and Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports |
List of Minister of State (Independent Charge) 2024
Here is the complete list of Ministers of State (Independent Charge) 2024 in the current Union Council of Minister:
Minister of State (Independent Charge) | Portfolios |
Rao Inderjit Singh | Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation; Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Planning |
Dr. Jitendra Singh | Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Science and Technology |
Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal | Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Law and Justice |
Shri Kiren Rijiju | Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Earth Sciences |
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List of Ministers of State 2024
Here is the complete list of Ministers of State 2024 in the current Union Council of Ministers:
Minister of State | Portfolios |
Shri Rao Inderjit Singh | Minister of State in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs |
Dr. Jitendra Singh | Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office; Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances; Minister of State in the Department of Atomic Energy; and Minister of State in the Department of Space |
Shri Shripad Yesso Naik | Minister of State in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism |
Shri Faggansingh Kulaste | Minister of State in the Ministry of Steel; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development |
Shri Prahalad Singh Patel | Minister of State in the Ministry of Jal Shakti; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries |
Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey | Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change |
Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal | Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Culture |
General (Retd.) V. K. Singh | Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Civil Aviation |
Shri Krishan Pal | Minister of State in the Ministry of Power; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises |
Shri Danve Raosaheb Dadarao | Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways; Minister of State in the Ministry of Coal; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Mines |
Shri Ramdas Athawale | Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment |
Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti | Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development |
Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Balyan | Minister of State in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying |
Shri Nityanand Rai | Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs |
Shri Pankaj Choudhary | Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance |
Smt. Anupriya Singh Patel | Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry |
Prof. S. P. Singh Baghel | Minister of State in the Ministry of Law and Justice |
Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar | Minister of State in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology |
Sushri Shobha Karandlaje | Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare |
Shri Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma | Minister of State in the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises |
Smt. Darshana Vikram Jardosh | Minister of State in the Ministry of Textiles; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways |
Shri V. Muraleedharan | Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs |
Smt. Meenakashi Lekhi | Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Culture |
Shri Som Parkash | Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry |
Smt. Renuka Singh Saruta | Minister of State in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs |
Shri Rameswar Teli | Minister of State in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Labour and Employment |
Shri Kailash Choudhary | Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare |
Smt. Annpurna Devi Yadav | Minister of State in the Ministry of Education |
Shri A. Narayanaswamy | Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment |
Shri Kaushal Kishore | Minister of State in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs |
Shri Ajay Bhatt | Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism |
Shri B. L. Verma | Minister of State in the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Cooperation |
Shri Ajay Kumar Mishra | Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs |
Shri Devusinh Chauhan | Minister of State in the Ministry of Communications |
Shri Bhagwanth Khuba | Minister of State in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers |
Shri Kapil Moreshwar Patil | Minister of State in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj |
Sushri Pratima Bhoumik | Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment |
Dr. Subhas Sarkar | Minister of State in the Ministry of Education |
Dr. Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad | Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance |
Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh | Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Education |
Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar | Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare |
Shri Bishweswar Tudu | Minister of State in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Jal Shakti |
Shri Shantanu Thakur | Minister of State in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways |
Dr. Mahendra Munjapara | Minister of State in the Ministry of Women and Child Development; and Minister of State in the Ministry of AYUSH |
Shri John Barla | Minister of State in the Ministry of Minority Affairs |
Dr. L. Murugan | Minister of State in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting |
Shri Nisith Pramanik | Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports |
Role of Cabinet Ministers of India
The Cabinet Ministers of India play a crucial role in the functioning of the government. Here’s a breakdown of their key responsibilities:
Policy formulation and decision-making
- Cabinet Ministers head individual ministries and are responsible for formulating policies within their respective areas.
- They conduct research, analyze data, and consult with experts to develop policies that address national priorities and challenges.
- Collectively, the Cabinet makes key decisions on various issues, including economic policy, foreign affairs, defense, social welfare, and infrastructure development.
Leading government departments
- Each Cabinet Minister oversees a specific ministry and its various departments, agencies, and institutions.
- They provide administrative guidance, ensure efficient functioning, and monitor performance of these entities.
- This involves setting budget priorities, allocating resources, and ensuring proper implementation of government policies and programs.
Public representation and communication
- Cabinet Ministers act as the public face of the government in their respective areas.
- They answer questions in Parliament, address the media, and engage with stakeholder groups to explain government policies and decisions.
- They also play a crucial role in communicating with the public and addressing their concerns and grievances.
Legislative oversight and accountability
- Cabinet Ministers are responsible for introducing and defending government bills in Parliament.
- They participate in parliamentary debates and answer questions from legislators on their respective ministries’ work.
- This ensures transparency and accountability to the legislative branch and the public.
International relations and diplomacy
- Certain Cabinet Ministers, like the Minister of External Affairs, play a key role in India’s foreign relations.
- They represent India in international forums, negotiate agreements with other countries, and promote India’s interests in the global arena.
- This requires strong diplomatic skills and the ability to build and maintain relationships with foreign counterparts.