# Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (India)

The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology was an Indian government ministry. It was bifurcated into Ministry of Communications and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in July 2016. It contained three departments viz. Department of Telecommunications, Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY, now Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) and Department of Posts.
The following cadre controlling authority of the Civil Services (including Indian Telecommunication Service, Indian Postal Service, Indian Radio Regulatory Service, Telegraph Traffic Service, Indian Post & Telegraph Building Works Services and Indian Posts and Telegraphs Accounts and Finance Service) are under the administration and supervision of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

## List of ministers

Following is the list of ministers of communications.
| # | Portrait | Name | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Prime Minister | Party |
| 1 | | Rafi Ahmed Kidwai | 15 August 1947 | 2 August 1951 | 3 years, 352 days | Jawaharlal Nehru | Indian National Congress |
| 2 | | Amrit Kaur | 2 August 1951 | 13 May 1952 | 285 days | Jawaharlal Nehru | Indian National Congress |
| 3 | | Jagjivan Ram | 13 May 1952 | 7 December 1956 | 4 years, 208 days | Jawaharlal Nehru | Indian National Congress |
| 4 | | Raj Bahadur | 7 December 1956 | 17 April 1957 | 131 days | Jawaharlal Nehru | Indian National Congress |
| 5 | | Lal Bahadur Shastri | 17 April 1957 | 28 March 1958 | 345 days | Jawaharlal Nehru | Indian National Congress |
| 6 | | S. K. Patil | 29 March 1958 | 24 August 1959 | 1 year, 148 days | Jawaharlal Nehru | Indian National Congress |
| 7 | | Jawaharlal Nehru | 25 August 1959 | 2 September 1959 | 8 days | Jawaharlal Nehru | Indian National Congress |
| 8 | | P. Subbarayan | 2 September 1959 | 9 April 1962 | 2 years, 219 days | Jawaharlal Nehru | Indian National Congress |
| (3) | | Jagjivan Ram | 10 April 1962 | 31 August 1963 | 1 year, 144 days | Jawaharlal Nehru | Indian National Congress |
| 9 | | Ashoke Kumar Sen | 1 September 1963 | 13 June 1964 | 286 days | Jawaharlal Nehru | Indian National Congress |
| 9 | | Ashoke Kumar Sen | 1 September 1963 | 13 June 1964 | 286 days | Lal Bahadur Shastri | Indian National Congress |
| 10 | – | Satya Narayan Sinha | 13 June 1964 | 12 March 1967 | 2 years, 272 days | Lal Bahadur Shastri | Indian National Congress |
| 10 | – | Satya Narayan Sinha | 13 June 1964 | 12 March 1967 | 2 years, 272 days | Indira Gandhi | Indian National Congress |
| 11 | | Ram Subhag Singh | 13 March 1967 | 14 February 1969 | 1 year, 338 days | Indira Gandhi | Indian National Congress |
| (10) | – | Satya Narayan Sinha | 14 February 1969 | 8 March 1971 | 2 years, 22 days | Indira Gandhi | Indian National Congress |
| 12 | | Indira Gandhi | 9 March 1971 | 17 March 1971 | 8 days | Indira Gandhi | Indian National Congress |
| 13 | – | Sher Singh | 18 March 1971 | 2 May 1971 | 45 days | Indira Gandhi | Indian National Congress |
| 14 | | Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna | 2 May 1971 | 8 November 1973 | 2 years, 190 days | Indira Gandhi | Indian National Congress |
| (4) | | Raj Bahadur | 8 November 1973 | 11 January 1974 | 64 days | Indira Gandhi | Indian National Congress |
| 15 | | Kasu Brahmananda Reddy | 11 January 1974 | 10 October 1974 | 272 days | Indira Gandhi | Indian National Congress |
| 16 | | Shankar Dayal Sharma | 10 October 1974 | 24 March 1977 | 2 years, 165 days | Indira Gandhi | Indian National Congress |
| 17 | | Morarji Desai | 24 March 1977 | 26 March 1977 | 2 days | Morarji Desai | Janata Party |
| 18 | | Parkash Singh Badal | 26 March 1977 | 27 March 1977 | 2 days | Morarji Desai | Shiromani Akali Dal |
| 19 | | George Fernandes | 28 March 1977 | 6 July 1977 | 100 days | Morarji Desai | Janata Party |
| 20 | – | Brij Lal Varma | 6 July 1977 | 28 July 1979 | 2 years, 22 days | Morarji Desai | Janata Party |
| 21 | | Charan Singh | 28 July 1979 | 30 July 1979 | 2 days | Charan Singh | Janata Party (Secular) |
| 22 | – | Zulfiquarullah (I/C) | 30 July 1979 | 27 November 1979 | 120 days | Charan Singh | Janata Party (Secular) |
| (21) | | Charan Singh | 27 November 1979 | 7 December 1979 | 10 days | Charan Singh | Janata Party (Secular) |
| 23 | – | Shyam Nandan Mishra | 7 December 1979 | 14 January 1980 | 38 days | Charan Singh | Janata Party (Secular) |
| (12) | | Indira Gandhi | 15 January 1980 | 16 January 1980 | 1 day | Indira Gandhi | Indian National Congress |
| 24 | | Bhishma Narain Singh | 16 January 1980 | 3 March 1980 | 47 days | Indira Gandhi | Indian National Congress |
| 25 | – | C. M. Stephen | 3 March 1980 | 2 September 1982 | 2 years, 183 days | Indira Gandhi | Indian National Congress |
| 26 | | Anant Prasad Sharma | 2 September 1982 | 14 February 1983 | 165 days | Indira Gandhi | Indian National Congress |
| (12) | | Indira Gandhi | 14 February 1983 | 31 October 1984 | 1 year, 260 days | Indira Gandhi | Indian National Congress |
| 27 | | Rajiv Gandhi | 31 October 1984 | 4 November 1984 | 4 days | Rajiv Gandhi | Indian National Congress |
| 28 | – | V. N. Gadgil | 4 November 1984 | 31 December 1984 | 57 days | Rajiv Gandhi | Indian National Congress |
| 29 | | Ram Niwas Mirdha (I/C) | 31 December 1984 | 22 October 1986 | 1 year, 295 days | Rajiv Gandhi | Indian National Congress |
| 30 | | 22 October 1986 | 14 February 1988 | 1 year, 115 days | | Rajiv Gandhi | Indian National Congress |
| 31 | – | Vasant Sathe | 14 February 1988 | 25 June 1988 | 132 days | Rajiv Gandhi | Indian National Congress |
| 32 | – | Bir Bahadur Singh | 25 June 1988 | 30 May 1989 | 339 days | Rajiv Gandhi | Indian National Congress |
| (27) | | Rajiv Gandhi | 31 May 1989 | 4 July 1989 | 34 days | Rajiv Gandhi | Indian National Congress |
| 33 | | Giridhar Gamang (I/C) | 4 July 1989 | 2 December 1989 | 151 days | Rajiv Gandhi | Indian National Congress |
| 34 | | V. P. Singh | 2 December 1989 | 6 December 1989 | 4 days | V. P. Singh | Janata Dal |
| 35 | – | K.P. Unnikrishnan | 6 December 1989 | 23 April 1990 | 138 days | V. P. Singh | Congress (Secular) |
| 36 | – | Janeshwar Mishra (I/C) | 30 April 1990 | 5 November 1990 | 189 days | V. P. Singh | Janata Dal |
| (34) | | V. P. Singh | 6 November 1990 | 10 November 1990 | 4 days | V. P. Singh | Janata Dal |
| 37 | | Chandra Shekhar | 10 November 1990 | 21 November 1990 | 11 days | Chandra Shekhar | Samajwadi Janata Party |
| 38 | | Sanjay Singh (I/C) | 22 November 1990 | 21 June 1991 | 211 days | Chandra Shekhar | Samajwadi Janata Party |
| 39 | | Rajesh Pilot (I/C) | 21 June 1991 | 17 January 1993 | 1 year, 210 days | P. V. Narasimha Rao | Indian National Congress |
| 40 | – | Sukh Ram (I/C) | 17 January 1993 | 16 May 1996 | 3 years, 120 days | P. V. Narasimha Rao | Indian National Congress |
| 41 | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | 16 May 1996 | 1 June 1996 | 16 days | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| 42 | | Beni Prasad Verma ((I/C till 10 July 1996) | 1 June 1996 | 19 March 1998 | 1 year, 291 days | Deve GowdaI. K. Gujral | Samajwadi Party |
| (41) | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | 19 March 1998 | 21 March 1998 | 2 days | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| 43 | | Buta Singh | 21 March 1998 | 19 April 1998 | 11 days | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| (41) | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | 19 April 1998 | 20 April 1998 | 1 day | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| 44 | | Sushma Swaraj | 20 April 1998 | 11 October 1998 | 174 days | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| (41) | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | 11 October 1998 | 6 December 1998 | 56 days | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| 45 | | Jagmohan | 6 December 1998 | 8 June 1999 | 184 days | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| (41) | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | 8 June 1999 | 13 October 1999 | 127 days | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| 46 | | Ram Vilas Paswan | 13 October 1999 | 1 September 2001 | 1 year, 323 days | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | Janata Dal (United) |
| 47 | | Pramod Mahajan | 1 September 2001 | 29 January 2003 | 1 year, 150 days | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| 48 | | Arun Shourie | 29 January 2003 | 22 May 2004 | 1 year, 114 days | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| 49 | | Dayanidhi Maran | 23 May 2004 | 15 May 2007 | 2 years, 357 days | Manmohan Singh | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| 50 | | A. Raja | 16 May 2007 | 14 November 2010 | 3 years, 182 days | Manmohan Singh | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| 51 | | Manmohan Singh | 15 November 2010 | 19 January 2011 | 65 days | Manmohan Singh | Indian National Congress |
| 52 | | Kapil Sibal | 19 January 2011 | 26 May 2014 | 3 years, 127 days | Manmohan Singh | Indian National Congress |
| 53 | | Ravi Shankar Prasad | 26 May 2014 | 5 July 2016 | 2 years, 40 days | Narendra Modi | Bharatiya Janata Party |