Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Split, Delhi Gets Department
The Centre has reorganised the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs by creating separate departments for Delhi and national urban schemes to improve governance, planning, and project implementation.
- Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Split
- Department of Urban Development to oversee national urban schemes.
- Senior IAS officers D Thara and Satendra Singh appointed as Secretaries.
New Delhi: The Central Government has restructured the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) by dividing it into two separate departments. The Department of Capital Development and the Department of Urban Development. The decision, announced through a Gazette notification issued by the Cabinet Secretariat on Thursday, marks the first major structural change in the ministry since its formation.
The move is aimed at improving governance by giving dedicated attention to Delhi’s development while allowing national urban programmes to be managed separately.
The newly created Department of Capital Development will exclusively handle Delhi-related matters, including the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Union government properties, allocation of government land in the national capital, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), and the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC).
Meanwhile, the Department of Urban Development will oversee nationwide initiatives such as the Swachh Bharat Mission, AMRUT, PM SVANidhi, the Urban Challenge Fund, and climate adaptation programmes. The restructuring is expected to streamline decision-making and improve project execution across both areas.
The Cabinet Secretariat officially notified the amendment to the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961. Following the reorganisation, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet named D Thara, a Gujarat cadre IAS officer and former Additional Secretary in MoHUA, as Secretary of the Department of Capital Development.
Satendra Singh, a Jharkhand cadre IAS officer who served as Additional Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat, has been appointed Secretary of the Department of Urban Development. Notably, Singh also signed the Gazette notification establishing the two departments earlier the same day.
The bifurcation is expected to strengthen administrative efficiency by separating Delhi’s complex urban governance from the implementation of nationwide development programmes. With a dedicated department for the national capital, the government aims to accelerate infrastructure planning, land management, metro expansion, and public works.
At the same time, the new Urban Development Department can focus on improving urban services, sanitation, financial inclusion, and sustainable city initiatives across India.
As part of the reorganisation, one subject previously handled by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs -stationery and printing for the Government of India, including official publications has been transferred to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
The government is expected to operationalise both departments immediately, with separate administrative responsibilities and leadership to ensure smoother implementation of urban development policies.
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