Understanding Ministries And Departments Of Government Of India

It is the ministries and departments of the state through which the Government of India exercises its executive authority. The central government ministries are composed of employed officials, referred to as civil servants, and are politically accountable through the ministers. Usually, major ministries are headed by the Cabinet Ministers and are further supported by a team of junior ministers referred to as the Ministers of State. 

Some ministries are further subdivided into departments of the central government.

List of Ministries and Departments of Government of India

When it comes to the ministries of central government and its departments, there are 58 Union ministries and 93 departments of the central government. Here mentioned is the list of important ministries and departments of the government of India:

• Prime minister’s Office:

The Prime Minister’s Office comprises India’s prime minister’s immediate staff and is headed by the PM’s secretary. Through this office, the Prime Minister coordinates with all other ministers who sit in the central union cabinet, governors, and ministers of state government.

• Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare:

The Ministry of Agriculture and farmers’ Welfare is the apex body formulating and administrating the rules, regulations, and laws related to agriculture in the country. This particular ministry is further categorised into three departments:

• Department of Agriculture and Cooperation (AGRICOOP)
• Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE)
• Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
• Ministry Of AYUSH:

The Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa, and Homoeopathy) is formed with the main purpose of developing education research and propagation of indigenous alternative medicine systems in the country.

• Ministry of Chemical and Fertilisers:

The main purpose of the Ministry of Chemical and Fertilisers is to plan, develop, and regulate the chemical and fertilisers industry. This particular ministry is further categorised into three departments:

• Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals (DCPC)
• Department of Fertilisers (FERT)
• Department of Pharmaceuticals
• Ministry of Civil Aviation:

The Ministry of Civil Aviation is responsible for formulating national policies and programs for developing and regulating civil aviation in India. 

• Ministry of Commerce and Industry:

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry is responsible for planning, developing, and regulating India’s commerce and industry sector. This particular ministry is further categorised into two departments:

• Department of Commerce 
• Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT)
• Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution (DCA):

The primary objective of this ministry is to ensure food security for the country by procuring and distributing food grains on time and framing rules and regulations handling consumer affairs. This particular ministry is further categorised into two departments:

• Department of Consumer Affairs
• Department of Food and Public Distribution

• Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES):

The Ministry of Earth Sciences is responsible for providing services for weather, climate, seismology, ocean and coastal state, and natural hazards so that living and non-living resources can be explored and harnessed sustainably. This particular ministry further has one department of the Indian government, i.e. India Meteorological Department (IMD).

• Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA):

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs is primarily concerned with the administration of the companies Act 2013, the Limited Liability partnership Act 2008, and many other rules and regulations framed to regulate the functioning of the corporate sector according to law and order.

• Ministry of Defence (MoD):

The primary responsibility of this particular ministry is to obtain policy directions of the government of India on the matters related to the defence and security of the country and communicate the same for implementation to the necessary organisations. The Ministry of Defence is further categorised into three departments:

• Department of Defence
• Department of Defence Production
• Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare

• Ministry of External Affairs (MEA):

The Ministry of External Affairs represents the Indian government through embassies and is responsible for representing India at the United Nations and other international platforms.

• Ministry of Railways:

The Ministry of railways is responsible for maintaining and improving the rail transport system of the country.

• Ministry of Finance:

The main responsibility of the Ministry of Finance is to formulate and monitor macroeconomic policies and the functioning of the capital market, including stock exchanges. This particular ministry is further categorised into the following mentioned department of the Indian government:

• Department of Economic Affairs
• Department of Expenditure
• Department of Investment and Public Asset Management
• Department of Revenue

Conclusion

The central government ministries and their departments are established in India so that the government can easily exercise its executive powers and can manage different aspects of the entire nation. These ministries are responsible for the smooth functioning of the country. There are a total of 58 union ministries and 93 departments that are headed by the Cabinet Ministers. If you are looking forward to knowing about the responsibilities and purpose of establishing significant ministries and its departments of the government of India, then it is suggested to go through the above-mentioned article.