Ministry of Communications (India)

Ministry of Communications is a union ministerial agency under the Government of India responsible for telecommunications and postal service. It was carved out of Ministry of Communications and Information Technology on 19 July 2016. It consists of two departments viz. Department of Telecommunications and the Department of Posts.

[of India]
Ministry overview
Preceding Ministry
Jurisdiction Republic of India
HeadquartersSanchar Bhawan, New Delhi, India
22°37′20″N 77°12′50″E
Annual budget81,957 crore (US$11 billion) (2020-21 est.) [1]
Ministers responsible
Ministry executives
  • Aruna Sundar Rajan, IAS, Chairman of Telecom Commission and Telecom Secretary
  • Pradipta Kumar Bisoi , IPoS, Posts Secretary
Child agencies
Websitedot.gov.in

Formation

Ministry of Communication and Information Technology was bifurcated into Ministry of Communications and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.[2]

Department of Telecommunications

Also known as the Door Sanchar Vibhag, this department concerns itself with policy, licensing and coordination matters relating to telegraphs, telephones, wireless, data, facsimile and telematic services and other like forms of communications. It also looks into the administration of laws with respect to any of the matters specified, namely:

Public sector units

R&D unit

Other units

A need was felt in the year 2007 to distinctly address the issues of Communication Network Security at DOT (HQ) level, consequent to enhancement of FDI limit in Telecom sector from 49% to 74% and therefore a new wing, named Security was created in DOT (HQ).

Objectives

  • e-Government: Providing e-infrastructure for delivery of e-services
  • e-Industry: Promotion of electronics hardware manufacturing and IT-ITeS industry
  • e-Innovation / R&D: Implementation of R&D Framework - Enabling creation of Innovation/ R&D Infrastructure in emerging areas of ICT&E/Establishment of mechanism for R&D translation
  • e-Learning: Providing support for development of e-Skills and Knowledge network
  • e-Security: Securing India’s cyber space
  • e-Inclusion: Promoting the use of ICT for more inclusive growth
  • Internet Governance: Enhancing India’s role in Global Platforms of Internet Governance.

Telephone Advisory Committees

Education

  • National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology
  • National Institute of Communication Finance
  • National Agriculture Education Institute of Research & Resources India

Department of Posts

The Department of Posts (DoP) operates one of the oldest and most extensive mail services in the world. As of 31 March 2017, the Indian Postal Service has 154,965 post offices, of which 139,067 (89.74%) are in rural areas and 15,898 (10.26%) are in urban areas. It has 25,585 departmental PO s and 129,380 ED BPOs. At the time of independence, there were 23,344 post offices, which were primarily in urban area. Thus the network has registered a sevenfold growth since independence, with the focus of the expansion primarily in rural areas. On an average, a post office serves an area of 21.56 sq. km and a population of 7,753 people. This is the most widely distributed post office system in the world.[9] The large numbers are a result of a long tradition of many disparate postal systems which were unified in the Indian Union post-Independence. Owing to this far-flung reach and its presence in remote areas, the Indian postal service is also involved in other services such as small savings banking and financial services., with about 25,464 full-time and 139,040 part-time post offices. It offers a whole range of products under posts, remittance, savings, insurance and philately. While the Director General is the head of operations, the Secretary is an adviser to the Minister. Both responsibilities are undertaken by one officer.

The DG is assisted by the Postal Services Board with six members: The six members of the Board hold portfolios of Personnel, Operations, Technology, Postal Life Insurance, Banking, Planning respectively. Shri Ananta Narayan Nanda is the Secretary (Posts) also the Chairman of the Postal Services Board and Ms.Meera Handa is Director General (DG) Posts. Shri.Vineet Pandey(Additional Charge) Additional Director General(Coordination) (ADG), Ms. Arundhaty Ghosh, Member (Operations), Shri. Biswanath Tripathy, Member (Planning), Shri Pradipta Kumar Bisoi, Member (Personnel), Shri Udai Krishna, Member (Banking), Shri Salim Haqu, Member (Technology) and Shri. Vineet Pandey, Member (PLI) & Chairman, Investment Board. The national headquarters are at Delhi and functions from Dak Bhavan located at the junction of Parliament Street and Ashoka Road.

The total revenue earned including remuneration for Savings Bank & Savings Certificate work during the year 2016-17 was 11,511.00 crores and the amount received from other Ministries/ Departments as Agency charges (recoveries) was 730.90 crores and expenditure is 24,211.85 crores during 2016-2017 against the previous year expenditure of 19,654.67 crores.The increase was mainly due to payment of increased pay & allowances consequent upon implementation of 7th pay commission recommendations, leave encashment during LTC, cost of materials, oil, diesel, revision of service tax on govt. buildings etc.

Lack of proper investment in infrastructure and technology is the reason for such low revenue. The present top management has already started investing in latest technology to improve the infrastructure. Quality of service is being improved and new products are being offered to meet the competition.

The field services are managed by Postal Circles—generally conforming to each State—except for the North Eastern States, India has been divided into 22 postal circles, each circle headed by a Chief Postmaster General. Each Circle is further divided into Regions comprising field units, called Divisions, headed by a Postmaster General. Further divided into divisions headed by SSPOs & SPOs. further divisions are divided into Sub Divisions Headed by ASPs & IPS. Other functional units like Circle Stamp Depots, Postal Stores Depots and Mail Motor Service may exist in the Circles and Regions.

Besides the 23 circles, there is a special Circle called the Base Circle to cater to the postal services of the Armed Forces of India. Army Postal Services (APS) is a unique arrangement to take care of the postal requirement of soldiers posted across the country. Department of Posts personnel are commissioned into the army to take care of APS. The Base Circle is headed by an Additional Director General, Army Postal Service holding the rank of a Major general.

The DoP is governed by the Indian Post Office Acts, 1898. Other than the traditional postage service in order to keep up with the age many new services have been introduced by the department:

  • e-Post - Delivery of email through post man where email service is not available
  • e-BillPost - Convenient way to pay bills under one roof
  • Postal Life insurance
  • International money transfers
  • Mutual funds
  • Banking

Ministers

N Name Portrait Term of office Political party

(Alliance)

Prime Minister
1 Rafi Ahmed Kidwai 15 August 1947 2 August 1951 Indian National Congress Jawaharlal Nehru
2 Amrit Kaur 2 August 1951 13 May 1952
3 Jagjivan Ram 13 May 1952 7 December 1956
4 Raj Bahadur 7 December 1956 17 April 1957
5 Lal Bahadur Shastri 17 April 1957 28 March 1958
6 S. K. Patil   29 March 1958 24 August 1959
7 Jawaharlal Nehru 25 August 1959 2 September 1959
8 P. Subbarayan 2 September 1959 9 April 1962
9 Jagjivan Ram 10 April 1963 31 August 1963
10 Ashoke Kumar Sen 1 September 1963 13 June 1964
11 Lal Bahadur Shastri
12 Satya Narayan Sinha   13 June 1964 12 March 1967
13 Indira Gandhi
14 Ram Subhag Singh 13 March 1967 14 February 1969
15 Satya Narayan Sinha   14 February 1969 8 March 1971
16 Indira Gandhi 9 March 1971 17 March 1971
17 Sher Singh   18 March 1971 2 May 1971
18 Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna 2 May 1971 8 November 1973
19 Raj Bahadur 8 November 1973 11 January 1974
20 Kasu Brahmananda Reddy 11 January 1974 10 October 1974
22 Shankar Dayal Sharma 10 October 1974 24 March 1977
23 Morarji Desai 24 March 1977 26 March 1977 Janata Party Morarji Desai
24 Parkash Singh Badal 26 March 1977 27 March 1977 Shiromani Akali Dal
25 George Fernandes 28 March 1977 6 July 1977 Janata Party
26 Brij Lal Varma   6 July 1977 28 July 1979
27 Charan Singh 28 July 1979 30 July 1979 Janata Party (Secular) Charan Singh
28 Zulfiquarullah
(MoS, Independent Charge)
  30 July 1979 27 November 1979
29 Charan Singh 27 November 1979 7 December 1979
30 Shyam Nandan Mishra   7 December 1979 14 January 1980
31 Indira Gandhi 15 January 1980 16 January 1980 Indian National Congress Indira Gandhi
32 Bhishma Narain Singh   16 January 1980 3 March 1980
33 C. M. Stephen   3 March 1980 2 September 1982
34 Anant Prasad Sharma   2 September 1982 14 February 1983
35 Indira Gandhi 14 February 1983 31 October 1984
36 Rajiv Gandhi 31 October 1984 4 November 1984 Rajiv Gandhi
37 V. N. Gadgil   4 November 1984 31 December 1984
38 Ram Niwas Mirdha
(MoS, Independent Charge)
31 December 1984 22 October 1986
39 Arjun Singh 22 October 1986 14 February 1988
40 Vasant Sathe   14 February 1988 25 June 1988
41 Bir Bahadur Singh   25 June 1988 30 June 1989
42 Giridhar Gamang
(MoS, Independent Charge)
4 July 1989 2 December 1989
43 V. P. Singh 2 December 1989 6 December 1989 Janata Dal
(National Front)
V. P. Singh
44 K.P. Unnikrishnan   6 December 1989 23 April 1990 Congress (Secular)
(National Front)
45 Janeshwar Mishra
(MoS, Independent Charge)
  30 April 1990 5 November 1990 Janata Dal
(National Front)
46 V. P. Singh 6 November 1990 10 November 1990
47 Chandra Shekhar 10 November 1990 21 November 1990 Samajwadi Janata Party Chandra Shekhar
48 Sanjay Singh
(MoS, Independent Charge)
  22 November 1990 21 June 1991
49 Rajesh Pilot
(MoS, Independent Charge)
21 June 1991 17 January 1993 Indian National Congress P. V. Narasimha Rao
50 Sukh Ram
(MoS, Independent Charge)
  17 January 1993 16 May 1996
51 Atal Bihari Vajpayee 16 May 1996 1 June 1996 Bharatiya Janata Party Atal Bihari Vajpayee
52 Beni Prasad Verma
(As MoS, Independent Charge
till 10 July 1996)
  1 June 1996 19 March 1998 Samajwadi Party
(United Front)
H. D. Dewe Gowda
I. K. Gujral
53 Atal Bihari Vajpayee 19 March 1998 21 March 1998 Bharatiya Janata Party
(National Democratic Alliance)
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
54 Buta Singh 21 March 1998 19 April 1998
55 Atal Bihari Vajpayee 19 April 1998 20 April 1998
56 Sushma Swaraj 20 April 1998 11 October 1998
57 Atal Bihari Vajpayee 11 October 1998 6 December 1998
58 Jagmohan   6 December 1998 8 June 1999
59 Atal Bihari Vajpayee 8 June 1999 13 October 1999
60 Ram Vilas Paswan 13 October 1999 1 September 2001 Janata Dal (United)
(National Democratic Alliance)
61 Pramod Mahajan   2 September 2001 28 January 2003 Bharatiya Janata Party
(National Democratic Alliance)
62 Arun Shourie 29 January 2003 22 May 2004
63 Dayanidhi Maran 23 May 2004 15 May 2007 Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(United Progressive Alliance)
Manmohan Singh
64 A. Raja   16 May 2007 14 November 2010
65 Manmohan Singh 15 November 2010 19 January 2011 Indian National Congress
(United Progressive Alliance)
66 Kapil Sibal 19 January 2011 26 May 2014
67 Ravi Shankar Prasad 26 May 2014 5 July 2016 Bharatiya Janata Party
(National Democratic Alliance)
Narendra Modi
68 Manoj Sinha
(MoS, Independent Charge)
  05 July 2016 24 May 2019
69 Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre
(MoS, Independent Charge)
30 May 2019

References

  1. "Union Budget 2020-21 Analysis" (PDF). prsindia.org. 2020.
  2. "Centre Bifurcates Communication Ministry; New Ministry For Information Technology", NDTV, 21 July 2016
  3. "Homepage". www.tec.gov.in.
  4. "Telephone Advisory Committees (TACs)". dot.gov.in. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  5. "Raghuram Rajan went ahead with TAC view on interest rate". moneycontrol.com. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  6. "BSNL holds second TAC meeting". tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  7. "BSNL to provide 3G connectivity to Lasalgaon, Satana". Times of India. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  8. "Circular" (PDF). dot.gov.in.
  9. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. "FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF POSTS". Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications. Government of India. pp. tab215.pdf. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2009.
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