# Ministry of Culture (India)

The Ministry of Culture is the Indian government ministry charged with preservation and promotion of art and culture of India.
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is the current Minister of Culture. Recently the government has established the National Mission on Libraries India under this ministry.

## Characteristics

The restoration of ancient idols smuggled out of India comes under the Ministry of Culture.
As of 01 October 2021, the Government of India has recovered 211 idols. Till 2014 only 13 idols were recovered. 198 idols have been restored since 2014.
In June 2022, more than 10 idols were recovered and handed over to the Tamil Nadu Idol Rescue Unit. 228 idols have been recovered till 2022.

## Organisation

* Attached offices
** Archaeological Survey of India
** Central Secretariat Library
** National Archives of India
* Subordinate offices
** Anthropological Survey of India, Kolkata
** Central Reference Library, Kolkata
** National Research Laboratory for Conservation of Cultural Property, Lucknow
** National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi
** National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai
** National Gallery of Modern Art, Bengaluru
** National Library of India, Kolkata
** National Museum, New Delhi
* Autonomous organisations
** National Mission for Manuscripts, Delhi
** Allahabad Museum, Prayagraj
** Asiatic Society, Kolkata
** Central Institute of Buddhist Studies, Jammu and Kashmir
** Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (CIHTS)
** Centre for Cultural Resources and Training, New Delhi
** Delhi Public Library, Delhi
** Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, New Delhi
** Indian Museum, Kolkata
** Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi
** Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manava Sangrahalaya, Bhopal
** Kalakshetra Foundation, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai
** Khuda Baksh Oriental Public Library, Patna
** Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi
** Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies (MAKAIAS), Kolkata
** National Council of Science Museums, Kolkata
** National Museum Institute of the History of Art, Conservation and Museology (NMIHACM), Delhi
** National School of Drama, New Delhi
** Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Nalanda, Bihar
** Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi (Teen Murti Bhavan)
** Raja Ram Mohan Roy Library Foundation, Kolkata, registered under the West Bengal Societies Registration Act, 1961
** Raza Library, Rampur
** Sahitya Akademi (SA), New Delhi
** Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad
** Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA), New Delhi
** Saraswathi Mahal Library, Tanjore
** Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata
* Zonal Cultural Centers (based on Cultural Zones of India)
** Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre, Kolkata
** North Central Zone Cultural Centre, Allahabad
** North East Zone Cultural Centre
** North Zone Cultural Centre
** South Central Zone Cultural Centre, Nagpur
** South Zone Culture Centre, Tanjavur, Tamil Nadu
** West Zone Cultural Centre
* Public Sector Undertakings
** National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation

## List of ministers
### Cabinet Ministers

* Note: MoS, I/C – Minister of State (Independent Charge)
| No. | Portrait | Portrait | Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Ministry | Prime Minister |
| No. | Portrait | Portrait | Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency | From | To | Period | Political party | Ministry | Prime Minister |
| 1 | | | Ananth Kumar (1959–2018) MP for Bangalore South | 13 October 1999 | 1 September 2001 | 1 year, 323 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Vajpayee III | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 2 | | | Maneka Gandhi (born 1956) MP for Pilibhit (MoS, I/C) | 1 September 2001 | 18 November 2001 | 78 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Vajpayee III | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 3 | | | Jagmohan (1927–2021) MP for New Delhi | 18 November 2001 | 22 May 2004 | 2 years, 186 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Vajpayee III | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 4 | | | Jaipal Reddy (1942–2018) MP for Miryalguda | 23 May 2004 | 29 January 2006 | 1 year, 251 days | Indian National Congress | Manmohan I | Manmohan Singh |
| 5 | | | Ambika Soni (born 1942) MP for Punjab (Rajya Sabha) | 29 January 2006 | 22 May 2009 | 3 years, 113 days | Indian National Congress | Manmohan I | Manmohan Singh |
| 6 | | | Manmohan Singh (born 1932) MP for Assam (Rajya Sabha) (Prime Minister) | 22 May 2009 | 19 January 2011 | 1 year, 242 days | Indian National Congress | Manmohan II | Manmohan Singh |
| 7 | | | Selja Kumari (born 1962) MP for Ambala | 19 January 2011 | 28 October 2012 | 1 year, 283 days | Indian National Congress | Manmohan II | Manmohan Singh |
| 8 | | | Chandresh Kumari Katoch (born 1944) MP for Jodhpur | 28 October 2012 | 26 May 2014 | 1 year, 210 days | Indian National Congress | Manmohan II | Manmohan Singh |
| 9 | | | Shripad Naik (born 1952) MP for North Goa (MoS, I/C) | 26 May 2014 | 9 November 2014 | 167 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi I | Narendra Modi |
| 10 | | | Mahesh Sharma (born 1959) MP for Gautam Buddh Nagar (MoS, I/C) | 9 November 2014 | 30 May 2019 | 4 years, 202 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi I | Narendra Modi |
| 11 | | | Prahlad Singh Patel (born 1960) MP for Damoh (MoS, I/C) | 31 May 2019 | 7 July 2021 | 2 years, 37 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi II | Narendra Modi |
| 12 | | | G. Kishan Reddy (born 1964) MP for Secunderabad | 7 July 2021 | 11 June 2024 | 3 years, 249 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi II | Narendra Modi |
| 13 | | | Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (born 1967) MP for Jodhpur | 11 June 2024 | Incumbent | 275 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi III | Narendra Modi |

### Ministers of State

| Portrait | Portrait | Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Ministry | Prime Minister |
| Portrait | Portrait | Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency | From | To | Period | Political party | Ministry | Prime Minister |
| | | Kanti Singh (born 1957) MP for Arrah | 6 April 2008 | 22 May 2009 | 1 year, 46 days | Rashtriya Janata Dal | Manmohan I | Manmohan Singh |
| | | Arjun Ram Meghwal (born 1953) MP for Bikaner | 7 July 2021 | 11 June 2024 | 2 years, 340 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi II | Narendra Modi |
| | | Meenakshi Lekhi (born 1967) MP for New Delhi | 7 July 2021 | 11 June 2024 | 2 years, 340 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi II | Narendra Modi |
| | | Rao Inderjit Singh (born 1951) MP for Gurgaon | 11 June 2024 | Incumbent | 275 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi III | Narendra Modi |