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Cabinet-level public office in the Government of India From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Minister of Communications (Hindi: संचार मंत्री) is the head of the Ministry of Communications and a senior member of the union council of ministers of the Government of India. 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.
| Minister of Communications | |
|---|---|
| Sañcār Mantrī | |
 Emblem of the Ministry of Communications | |
| Ministry of Communications | |
| Member of | Cabinet of India |
| Reports to | Prime Minister of India Parliament of India |
| Appointer | President of India on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of India |
| Formation | 1947 (as Ministry of Communications) 5 July 2016 (current form) |
| First holder | Rafi Ahmed Kidwai |
The current minister is Jyotiraditya Scindia 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 served as minister in the ministry. Sharma was Cabinet Minister for Communications from 1974 until 1977. Two former prime ministers, Lal Bahadur Shastri 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.
The Ministry of Communications came into existence soon after India's independence in the First Nehru ministry 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 to form the "Ministry of Transport and Communications" on 17 April 1957 in the Third Nehru ministry. Lal Bahadur Shastri 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.[1] The ministry was further bifurcated on 5 July 2016 into the Ministry of Communications and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The two ministries have since then existed independently.
| No. | Portrait | Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency |
Term of office | Political party | Ministry | Prime Minister | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| From | To | Period | ||||||||
| Minister of Communications | ||||||||||
| 1 |  |
Rafi Ahmed Kidwai (1894–1954) |
15 August 1947 |
2 August 1951 |
3 years, 352 days | Indian National Congress | Nehru I | Jawaharlal Nehru | ||
| 2 | .jpg) |
Amrit Kaur (1887–1964) |
2 August 1951 |
13 May 1952 |
285 days | |||||
| 3 |  |
Jagjivan Ram (1908–1986) MP for Shahabad South |
13 May 1952 |
7 December 1956 |
4 years, 208 days | Nehru II | ||||
| 4 | .jpg) |
Raj Bahadur (1912–1990) MP for Jaipur–Sawai Madhopur (MoS) |
7 December 1956 |
17 April 1957 |
131 days | |||||
| Ministry disestablished during this interval[a] | ||||||||||
| Minister of Posts and Telegraph | ||||||||||
| 5 |  |
Ashoke Kumar Sen (1913–1996) MP for Calcutta North West |
1 September 1963 |
13 May 1964 |
255 days | Indian National Congress | Nehru IV | Jawaharlal Nehru | ||
| Minister of Communications | ||||||||||
| (5) | |
Ashoke Kumar Sen (1913–1996) MP for Calcutta North West |
13 May 1964 |
27 May 1964 |
31 days | Indian National Congress | Nehru IV | Jawaharlal Nehru | ||
| 27 May 1964 |
9 June 1964 |
Nanda I | Gulzarilal Nanda | |||||||
| 9 June 1964 |
13 June 1964 |
Shastri | Lal Bahadur Shastri | |||||||
| 6 |  |
Satya Narayan Sinha (1900–1983) MP for Samastipur |
13 June 1964 |
11 January 1966 |
2 years, 273 days | |||||
| 11 January 1966 |
24 January 1966 |
Nanda II | Gulzarilal Nanda | |||||||
| 24 January 1966 |
13 March 1967 |
Indira I | Indira Gandhi | |||||||
| 7 |  |
Ram Subhag Singh (1917–1980) MP for Buxar |
13 March 1967 |
14 February 1969 |
1 year, 338 days | Indira II | ||||
| (6) | |
Satya Narayan Sinha (1900–1983) MP for Darbhanga |
14 February 1969 |
8 March 1971 |
2 years, 22 days | Indian National Congress (R) | ||||
| – |  |
Indira Gandhi (1917–1984) MP for Raebareli (Prime Minister) |
8 March 1971 |
18 March 1971 |
10 days | |||||
| 8 |  |
Sher Singh Kadyan (1917–2009) MP for Rohtak (MoS) |
18 March 1971 |
2 May 1971 |
45 days | Indira III | ||||
| 9 | .jpg) |
Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna (1919–1989) MP for Allahabad (MoS) |
2 May 1971 |
8 November 1973 |
2 years, 190 days | |||||
| (4) | |
Raj Bahadur (1912–1990) MP for Bharatpur |
8 November 1973 |
11 January 1974 |
64 days | |||||
| 10 |  |
Kasu Brahmananda Reddy (1909–1994) Rajya Sabha MP for Andhra Pradesh |
11 January 1974 |
10 October 1974 |
272 days | |||||
| 11 |  |
Shankar Dayal Sharma (1918–1999) MP for Bhopal |
10 October 1974 |
24 March 1977 |
2 years, 165 days | |||||
| – | .jpg) |
Morarji Desai (1896–1995) MP for Surat (Prime Minister) |
24 March 1977 |
26 March 1977 |
2 days | Janata Party | Desai | Morarji Desai | ||
| 12 |  |
Parkash Singh Badal (1927–2023) MP for Faridkot |
26 March 1977 |
27 March 1977 |
1 day | Shiromani Akali Dal | ||||
| 13 | .jpg) |
George Fernandes (1930–2019) MP for Muzaffarpur |
27 March 1977 |
6 July 1977 |
101 days | Janata Party | ||||
| 14 | Brij Lal Varma (1916–1987) MP for Mahasamund |
6 July 1977 |
28 July 1979 |
2 years, 22 days | ||||||
| – | .jpg) |
Charan Singh (1902–1987) MP for Baghpat (Prime Minister) |
28 July 1979 |
30 July 1979 |
2 days | Janata Party (Secular) | Charan | Charan Singh | ||
| 15 | Zulfiquarullah MP for Sultanpur (MoS) |
30 July 1979 |
27 November 1979 |
120 days | ||||||
| – | |
Charan Singh (1902–1987) MP for Baghpat (Prime Minister) |
27 November 1979 |
7 December 1979 |
10 days | |||||
| 16 |  |
Shyam Nandan Prasad Mishra (1920–2004) MP for Begusarai |
7 December 1979 |
14 January 1980 |
38 days | |||||
| – | |
Indira Gandhi (1917–1984) MP for Medak (Prime Minister) |
14 January 1980 |
16 January 1980 |
2 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Indira IV | Indira Gandhi | ||
| 17 |  |
Bhishma Narain Singh (1933–2018) Rajya Sabha MP for Bihar |
16 January 1980 |
3 March 1980 |
47 days | |||||
| 18 |  |
C. M. Stephen (1918–1984) MP for Gulbarga |
3 March 1980 |
2 September 1982 |
2 years, 183 days | |||||
| 19 |  |
Anant Sharma (1919–1988) Rajya Sabha MP for Bihar |
2 September 1982 |
14 February 1983 |
165 days | |||||
| – | |
Indira Gandhi (1917–1984) MP for Medak (Prime Minister) |
14 February 1983 |
31 October 1984 (died in office) |
1 year, 260 days | |||||
| – |  |
Rajiv Gandhi (1944–1991) MP for Amethi (Prime Minister) |
31 October 1984 |
4 November 1984 |
4 days | Rajiv I | Rajiv Gandhi | |||
| 20 | .jpg) |
Ram Niwas Mirdha (1924–2010) MP for Barmer |
31 December 1984 |
22 October 1986 |
1 year, 295 days | Rajiv II | ||||
| 21 |  |
Arjun Singh (1930–2011) MP for South Delhi |
22 October 1986 |
14 February 1988 |
1 year, 115 days | |||||
| 22 | .jpg) |
Vasant Sathe (1925–2011) MP for Wardha |
14 February 1988 |
25 June 1988 |
132 days | |||||
| 23 | Bir Bahadur Singh (1935–1989) Rajya Sabha MP for Uttar Pradesh |
25 June 1988 |
30 May 1989 (died in office) |
339 days | ||||||
| – | |
Rajiv Gandhi (1944–1991) MP for Amethi (Prime Minister) |
31 May 1989 |
4 July 1989 |
34 days | |||||
| 24 |  |
Giridhar Gamang (born 1943) MP for Koraput (MoS, I/C) |
4 July 1989 |
2 December 1989 |
151 days | |||||
| – | .jpg) |
Vishwanath Pratap Singh (1931–2008) MP for Fatehpur (Prime Minister) |
2 December 1989 |
6 December 1989 |
4 days | Janata Dal | Vishwanath | Vishwanath Pratap Singh | ||
| 25 | K. P. Unnikrishnan (born 1936) MP for Vatakara |
6 December 1989 |
23 April 1990 |
138 days | ||||||
| 26 | Janeshwar Mishra (1933–2010) MP for Allahabad (MoS, I/C) |
23 April 1990 |
5 November 1990 |
196 days | ||||||
| – | |
Vishwanath Pratap Singh (1931–2008) MP for Fatehpur (Prime Minister) |
6 November 1990 |
10 November 1990 |
4 days | |||||
| – |  |
Chandra Shekhar (1927–2007) MP for Ballia (Prime Minister) |
10 November 1990 |
21 November 1990 |
11 days | Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) | Chandra Shekhar | Chandra Shekhar | ||
| 27 | .jpg) |
Sanjaya Sinh (born 1951) Rajya Sabha MP for Uttar Pradesh (MoS, I/C) |
21 November 1990 |
21 June 1991 |
212 days | |||||
| 28 |  |
Rajesh Pilot (1945–2000) MP for Dausa (MoS, I/C) |
21 June 1991 |
18 January 1993 |
1 year, 211 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Rao | P. V. Narasimha Rao | ||
| 29 | Sukh Ram (1927–2022) MP for Mandi (MoS, I/C) |
18 January 1993 |
16 May 1996 |
3 years, 119 days | ||||||
| – | .jpg) |
Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1924–2018) MP for Lucknow (Prime Minister) |
16 May 1996 |
1 June 1996 |
16 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Vajpayee I | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | ||
| – |  |
H. D. Deve Gowda (born 1933) Unelected (Prime Minister) |
1 June 1996 |
29 June 1996 |
28 days | Janata Dal | Deve Gowda | H. D. Deve Gowda | ||
| 30 | .jpg) |
Beni Prasad Verma (1941–2020) MP for Kaiserganj (MoS, I/C until 10 July 1996) |
29 June 1996 |
21 April 1997 |
1 year, 263 days | Samajwadi Party | ||||
| 21 April 1997 |
19 March 1998 |
Gujral | Inder Kumar Gujral | |||||||
| 31 | _(cropped).jpg) |
Buta Singh (1934–2021) MP for Jalore |
19 March 1998 |
20 April 1998 |
32 days | Independent | Vajpayee II | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | ||
| 32 |  |
Sushma Swaraj (1952–2019) MP for South Delhi |
20 April 1998 |
11 October 1998 |
174 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | ||||
| – | |
Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1924–2018) MP for Lucknow (Prime Minister) |
11 October 1998 |
5 December 1998 |
55 days | |||||
| 33 |  |
Jagmohan (1927–2021) MP for New Delhi |
5 December 1998 |
8 June 1999 |
185 days | |||||
| – | |
Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1924–2018) MP for Lucknow (Prime Minister) |
8 June 1999 |
13 October 1999 |
127 days | |||||
| 34 | .jpg) |
Ram Vilas Paswan (1946–2020) MP for Hajipur |
13 October 1999 |
1 September 2001 |
1 year, 323 days | Janata Dal (United) | Vajpayee III | |||
| Lok Janshakti Party | ||||||||||
| 35 |  |
Pramod Mahajan (1949–2006) Rajya Sabha MP for Maharashtra |
1 September 2001 |
22 December 2001 |
112 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | ||||
| Minister of Communications and Information Technology | ||||||||||
| (35) | |
Pramod Mahajan (1949–2006) Rajya Sabha MP for Maharashtra |
22 December 2001 |
29 January 2003 |
1 year, 38 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Vajpayee III | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | ||
| 36 |  |
Arun Shourie (born 1941) Rajya Sabha MP for Uttar Pradesh |
29 January 2003 |
22 May 2004 |
1 year, 114 days | |||||
| 37 |  |
Dayanidhi Maran (born 1966) MP for Chennai Central |
23 May 2004 |
15 May 2007 |
2 years, 357 days | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | Manmohan I | Manmohan Singh | ||
| 38 |  |
A. Raja (born 1963) MP for Perambalur |
15 May 2007 |
22 May 2009 |
2 years, 7 days | |||||
| – |  |
Manmohan Singh (born 1932) Rajya Sabha MP for Assam (Prime Minister) |
22 May 2009 |
28 May 2009 |
6 days | Indian National Congress | Manmohan II | |||
| (38) | |
A. Raja (born 1963) MP for Nilgiris |
28 May 2009 |
15 November 2010 |
1 year, 171 days | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | ||||
| 39 |  |
Kapil Sibal (born 1948) MP for Chandni Chowk |
15 November 2010 |
26 May 2014 |
3 years, 192 days | Indian National Congress | ||||
| 40 |  |
Ravi Shankar Prasad (born 1954) Rajya Sabha MP for Bihar |
27 May 2014 |
5 July 2016 |
2 years, 39 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi I | Narendra Modi | ||
| Minister of Communications | ||||||||||
| 41 |  |
Manoj Sinha (born 1959) MP for Ghazipur |
5 July 2016 |
30 May 2019 |
2 years, 329 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi I | Narendra Modi | ||
| (40) | |
Ravi Shankar Prasad (born 1954) MP for Patna Sahib |
31 May 2019 |
7 July 2021 |
2 years, 37 days | Modi II | ||||
| 42 |  |
Ashwini Vaishnaw (born 1970) Rajya Sabha MP for Odisha |
7 July 2021 |
9 June 2024 |
2 years, 338 days | |||||
| 43 | .jpg) |
Jyotiraditya Scindia (born 1971) MP for Guna |
12 June 2024 |
Incumbent | 186 days | Modi III | ||||
| No. | Portrait | Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency |
Term of office | Political party | Ministry | Prime Minister | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| From | To | Period | ||||||||
| Minister of State of Communications | ||||||||||
| 1 | |
Raj Bahadur (1912–1990) MP for Jaipur–Sawai Madhopur |
14 February 1956 |
7 December 1956 |
297 days | Indian National Congress | Nehru II | Jawaharlal Nehru | ||
| Ministry disestablished during this interval | ||||||||||
| Minister of State of Communications | ||||||||||
| 2 |  |
Jagannath Rao (1909–?) MP for Chatrapur |
14 February 1966 |
13 March 1967 |
1 year, 27 days | Indian National Congress | Indira I | Indira Gandhi | ||
| 5 |  |
Inder Kumar Gujral (1919–2012) Rajya Sabha MP for Punjab |
18 March 1967 |
18 March 1971 |
4 years, 0 days | Indira II | ||||
| Indian National Congress (R) | ||||||||||
| 6 | |
Sher Singh Kadyan (1917–2009) MP for Rohtak |
14 February 1969 |
18 March 1971 |
2 years, 32 days | |||||
| (6) | |
Sher Singh Kadyan (1917–2009) MP for Rohtak |
12 January 1974 |
10 October 1974 |
271 days | Indian National Congress (R) | Indira III | |||
| 7 | Narhari Prasad Sai (1929–1999) MP for Raigarh |
14 August 1977 |
28 July 1979 |
1 year, 348 days | Janata Party | Desai | Morarji Desai | |||
| 8 | Narsingh Yadav MP for Chandauli |
30 July 1979 |
14 January 1980 |
168 days | Janata Party (Secular) | Charan | Charan Singh | |||
| 9 |  |
Tukaram Shrangare (1937–2011) MP for Osmanabad |
31 July 1979 |
14 January 1980 |
167 days | |||||
| 10 | .jpg) |
Kartik Oraon (1924–1981) MP for Lohardaga |
8 June 1980 |
8 December 1981 (died in office) |
1 year, 183 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Indira IV | Indira Gandhi | ||
| 11 | Yogendra Makwana (born 1933) Rajya Sabha MP for Gujarat |
15 January 1982 |
29 January 1983 |
1 year, 14 days | ||||||
| 12 | Vitthalrao Gadgil (1928–2001) MP for Pune |
29 January 1983 |
31 October 1984 |
1 year, 332 days | ||||||
| 4 November 1984 |
31 December 1984 |
Rajiv I | Rajiv Gandhi | |||||||
| 13 | |
Giridhar Gamang (born 1943) MP for Koraput |
25 June 1988 |
4 July 1989 |
1 year, 9 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Rajiv II | |||
| 14 | |
Beni Prasad Verma (1941–2020) MP for Kaiserganj |
1 June 1996 |
29 June 1996 |
28 days | Samajwadi Party | Deve Gowda | H. D. Deve Gowda | ||
| 15 | Kabindra Purkayastha (born 1931) MP for Silchar |
20 March 1998 |
13 October 1999 |
1 year, 207 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Vajpayee II | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | |||
| 16 | .jpg) |
Tapan Sikdar (1944–2014) MP for Dum Dum |
13 October 1999 |
22 December 2001 |
2 years, 70 days | Vajpayee III | ||||
| Minister of State of Communications and Information Technology | ||||||||||
| (16) | |
Tapan Sikdar (1944–2014) MP for Dum Dum |
22 December 2001 |
1 July 2002 |
191 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Vajpayee III | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | ||
| 17 |  |
Sumitra Mahajan (born 1943) MP for Indore |
1 July 2002 |
24 May 2003 |
327 days | |||||
| 18 | Sanjay Paswan (born 1962) MP for Nawada |
1 July 2002 |
29 January 2003 |
212 days | ||||||
| 18 | Su. Thirunavukkarasar (born 1949) MP for Pudukkottai |
29 January 2003 |
22 May 2004 |
1 year, 114 days | ||||||
| 19 | Ashok Kumar Pradhan (born 1953) MP for Khurja |
24 May 2003 |
22 May 2004 |
364 days | ||||||
| 20 | .jpg) |
Shakeel Ahmad (born 1956) MP for Madhubani |
23 May 2004 |
6 April 2008 |
3 years, 319 days | Indian National Congress | Manmohan I | Manmohan Singh | ||
| 21 | |
Jyotiraditya Scindia (born 1971) MP for Guna |
6 April 2008 |
22 May 2009 |
1 year, 46 days | |||||
| 22 |  |
Gurudas Kamat (1954–2018) MP for Mumbai North West |
28 May 2009 |
19 January 2011 |
1 year, 236 days | Manmohan II | ||||
| 23 |  |
Sachin Pilot (born 1977) MP for Dausa |
28 May 2009 |
28 October 2012 |
3 years, 153 days | |||||
| (22) | |
Gurudas Kamat (1954–2018) MP for Mumbai North West |
21 January 2011 |
12 July 2011 |
172 days | |||||
| 24 |  |
Milind Deora (born 1976) MP for Mumbai South |
12 July 2011 |
26 May 2014 |
2 years, 318 days | |||||
| 25 | .jpg) |
Killi Krupa Rani (born 1965) MP for Srikakulam |
28 October 2012 |
26 May 2014 |
1 year, 210 days | |||||
| Minister of State of Communications | ||||||||||
| 26 |  |
Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre (born 1959) MP for Akola |
31 May 2019 |
7 July 2021 |
2 years, 37 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi II | Narendra Modi | ||
| 27 | .jpg) |
Devusinh Jesingbhai Chauhan (born 1964) MP for Kheda |
7 July 2021 |
9 June 2024 |
2 years, 338 days | |||||
| 28 |  |
Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani (born 1976) MP for Guntur |
10 June 2024 |
Incumbent | 188 days | Telugu Desam Party | Modi III | |||
| No. | Portrait | Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency |
Term of office | Political party | Ministry | Prime Minister | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| From | To | Period | ||||||||
| Deputy Minister of Communications | ||||||||||
| 1 | Khurshed Lal (1903–1951) MCA for United Provinces |
1 October 1948 |
29 January 1951 |
2 years, 120 days | Indian National Congress | Nehru I | Jawaharlal Nehru | |||
| 2 | |
Raj Bahadur (1912–1990) MCA for Rajputana MP for Jaipur–Sawai Madhopur |
29 January 1951 |
13 May 1952 |
1 year, 105 days | |||||
| (2) | |
Raj Bahadur (1912–1990) MCA for Rajputana MP for Jaipur–Sawai Madhopur |
4 June 1952 |
14 February 1956 |
3 years, 255 days | Indian National Congress | Nehru II | |||
| Deputy Minister of Posts and Telegraphs | ||||||||||
| 3 |  |
Bijoy Chandra Bhagavati (1905–1997) MP for Tezpur |
1 September 1963 |
13 May 1964 |
255 days | Indian National Congress | Nehru IV | Jawaharlal Nehru | ||
| Deputy Minister of Communications | ||||||||||
| (3) | |
Bijoy Chandra Bhagavati (1905–1997) MP for Tezpur |
13 May 1964 |
27 May 1964 |
1 year, 250 days | Indian National Congress | Nehru IV | Jawaharlal Nehru | ||
| 27 May 1964 |
9 June 1964 |
Nanda I | Gulzarilal Nanda | |||||||
| 15 June 1964 |
11 January 1966 |
Shastri | Lal Bahadur Shastri | |||||||
| 11 January 1966 |
24 January 1966 |
Nanda II | Gulzarilal Nanda | |||||||
| 4 | .jpg) |
Vidya Charan Shukla (1929–2013) MP for Mahasamund |
24 January 1966 |
14 February 1966 |
21 days | Indira I | Indira Gandhi | |||
| 5 |  |
Jagannath Pahadia (1932–1991) MP for Bayana |
22 July 1972 |
23 December 1976 |
4 years, 154 days | Indian National Congress (R) | Indira III | |||
| 6 | Balgovind Verma (1923–1980) MP for Kheri |
23 December 1976 |
24 March 1977 |
91 days | ||||||
| 7 | Vijaykumar Naval Patil (born 1942) MP for Dhule |
19 October 1980 |
31 October 1984 |
4 years, 68 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Indira IV | Indira Gandhi | |||
| 4 November 1984 |
31 December 1984 |
Rajiv I | Rajiv Gandhi | |||||||
| 8 | Jai Parkash (born 1954) MP for Hisar |
7 December 1990 |
21 June 1991 |
196 days | Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) | Chandra Shekhar | Chandra Shekhar | |||
| 9 | .jpg) |
P. V. Rangayya Naidu (born 1933) MP for Khammam |
21 June 1991 |
18 January 1993 |
1 year, 211 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Rao | P. V. Narasimha Rao | ||
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