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Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs

The Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs (Hindi: आवासन और शहरी कार्य मंत्री) is the head of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs of the Government of India since the ministry's formation on 6 July 2017 and is a member of the union council of ministers. The minister is responsible for the execution, formulation and administration of the rules and regulations and laws relating to the housing and urban development in India.

The ministry is currently headed by Manohar Lal Khattar who has been the minister since 10 June 2024. Khattar is the Member of Parliament for Karnal and was formerly the 10th Chief Minister of Haryana, from 2014 to 2024. Khattar also jointly holds the post of Minister of Power. The cabinet minister is often assisted by a minister of state and formerly by a deputy minister.

History of office

The ministry came into existence on 15 August 1947 soon after the independence as the "Ministry of Works, Mines and Power". Narhar Vishnu Gadgil was appointed as the first Minister of Works, Mines and Power thereupon. On 26 December 1950, the ministry was reorganized and recognized as the Minister of Works, Production and Supply. In 1952, the ministry was renamed as the "Ministry of Works, Housing and Supply" after the Department of Production was separated and the Ministry of Production was formed. Swaran Singh was appointed as the inaugural Minister of Works, Housing and Supply and served from 1952 until 1957. In 1962, the Department of Supply was separated from the ministry and the Ministry of Rehabilitation was merged with the Ministry of Works and Supply to form the "Ministry of Works, Housing and Rehabilitation".

In 1964, the ministry was renamed as "Ministry of Works and Housing" after the Department of Rehabilitation was separated from it and further renamed in 1966 as "Ministry of Works, Housing and Urban Development" and in 1971 as "Ministry of Works and Housing". In 1977, the ministry was merged with Ministry of Supply and Rehabilitation to form the "Ministry of Works, Housing, Supply and Rehabilitation". In 1980, the ministry was renamed back as "Ministry of Works and Housing".

In 1985, with rapidly growing urban issues and to give more importance to those issues, the ministry was renamed as the "Ministry of Urban Development" and further renamed in 1995 as the "Ministry of Urban Affairs and Employment" with two constituent departments, namely, the Department of Urban Employment and Poverty Alleviation and the Department of Urban Employment.

The two departments were merged together in 1999 as the "Ministry of Urban Development" and bifurcated only months later into the "Ministry of Urban Development" and the "Urban Employment and Poverty Alleviation". The two independent ministries were re-united on 27 May 2000 as the "Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation" with Jagmohan serving as the first office-holder.

Upon the formation of the First Manmohan Singh ministry on 22 May 2004, the ministry was again bifurcated. Two separate ministries were formed, one concerned with urban development and was named as "Ministry of Urban Development" and Ghulam Nabi Azad was appointed as the Minister of Urban Development, while the other ministry was concerned with urban employment and poverty issues and was named as "Ministry of Urban Employment and Poverty Alleviation" and Kumari Selja was appointed as the minister. The Ministry of Urban Employment and Poverty Alleviation was renamed as the "Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation" in 2006 and existed until 2017.

On 6 July 2017, the two independent ministries were re-united as the "Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs" and has since existed in this form. Venkaiah Naidu who served as the Minister in both the ministries prior to their merger was appointed as the first minister thereupon. He resigned the following month after being nominated as a candidate for the 2017 vice presidential election and was elected as the Vice President in August 2017. Upon his resignation, Rural Development minister Narendra Singh Tomar briefly officiated in the ministry until the appointment of Hardeep Singh Puri in September 2017. Puri has since then served as the Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs and is the longest serving minister in the ministry.

Titles of office

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has undergone several minor and major organizational and nominal changes since its establishment as the "Ministry of Works, Housing and Supply" in 1952.