# Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is a Government of India ministry. It is responsible for welfare, social justice and empowerment of disadvantaged and marginalised sections of society, including scheduled castes (SC), Other Backward Classes (OBC), LGBT people, the disabled, the elderly, and the victims of drug abuse. It also helps in the enforcement of legislation with regards to these marginalized groups to better enforce anti-discrimination policies.
The Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment holds cabinet rank as a member of the Council of Ministers. The current minister is Virendra Kumar, who is assisted by two ministers of state, Ramdas Athawale and B. L. Verma.

## History

In 1985–1986, the former Ministry of Welfare was divided into the Department of Women and Child Development and the Department of Welfare. At the same time, the Departments of Scheduled Castes Development, Tribal Development, and Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Department of Wakf of the Ministry of Law were separated from those ministry to form the new Ministry of Welfare.
The Ministry of Welfare was renamed as the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in May 1998. In October 1999, the Department of Tribal Development was separated to form the new and independent Ministry of Tribal Affairs. In May 2004 following the formation of the First Manmohan Singh ministry, the Department of Women and Child Development was separated to form an independent ministry to be known as the Ministry of Women and Child Development, while in January 2006, the Departments of Minorities Welfare and the Wakf were separated to form the Ministry of Minority Affairs. To propagate the ideologies and philosophy of Babu Jagjivan Ram, the 'Babu Jagjivan Ram National Foundation', has been set up by the Ministry.
In 2012, the Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment launched Oblindia, an online library for visually impaired college students. At launch, the library included 12,000 books in 10 languages.

## Organisation

The ministry has five bureaus, each headed by a Joint Secretary: Scheduled Castes Development Bureau; Backward Classes Bureau Coordination, Media, Administration; Disability Bureau; Social Defense (SD) Bureau; and Project, Research, Evaluation and Monitoring Bureau.
* Statutory Bodies
** Office of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, New Delhi
** National Trust for the Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities
** Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI)
* Commissions
** National Commission for Backward Classes
** National Commission for Scheduled Castes
** National Commission for Scheduled Tribes
** National Commission for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes
* National Institutes
** Ali Yavar Jung National Institute for the Hearing Handicapped, Mumbai (AYJNIHH)
** Deendayal Upadhyaya Institute for the Physically Handicapped, New Delhi (formerly Institute for the Physically Handicapped (IPH))
** National Institute for Locomotor Disabilities, Kolkata
** National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities, Secunderabad
** National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Visual Disabilities (NIVH), Dehradun
** Swami Vivekanand National Institute of Rehabilitation Training and Research, Cuttack (NIRTAR)
** National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Multiple Disabilities (NIEPMD), Chennai
** Indian Sign Language Research & Training Centre (ISLRTC)
** National Institute of Social Defence (NISD)
* Public sector undertakings
** National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation (NBCFDC)
** National Divyangjan Finance and Development Corporation (NHFDC)
** Development and Welfare Board for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi Nomadic Communities (DWBDNC)
** Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO), Kanpur
** National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation
* Composite Regional Centres for Persons with Disabilities (CRCs)
* Public Private Partnership
** Indian Spinal Injury Centre

### Think Tank

* Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi

## Legislation

* Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007

## 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 | Prime Minister |
| No. | Portrait | Portrait | Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency | From | To | Period | Political party | Ministry | Prime Minister | Prime Minister |
| Minister of Social Security |||||||||||
| 1 | | | Ram Subhag Singh (1917–1980) MP for Bikramganj (MoS) | 9 June 1964 | 13 June 1964 | 4 days | Indian National Congress | Shastri | | Lal Bahadur Shastri |
| 2 | | | Ashoke Kumar Sen (1913–1996) MP for Calcutta North West | 13 June 1964 | 11 January 1966 | 1 year, 212 days | Indian National Congress | Shastri | | Lal Bahadur Shastri |
| 2 | | | Ashoke Kumar Sen (1913–1996) MP for Calcutta North West | 11 January 1966 | 24 January 1966 | 1 year, 212 days | Indian National Congress | Nanda II | | Gulzarilal Nanda |
| Minister of Social Welfare |||||||||||
| 3 | | | Kotha Raghuramaiah (1912–1979) MP for Guntur (MoS) | 24 January 1966 | 25 March 1966 | 60 days | Indian National Congress | Indira I | | Indira Gandhi |
| 4 | | | Asoka Mehta (1911–1984) Rajya Sabha MP for Maharashtra, until 1967 MP for Bhandara | 25 March 1966 | 13 March 1967 | 2 years, 150 days | Indian National Congress | Indira I | | Indira Gandhi |
| 4 | | | Asoka Mehta (1911–1984) Rajya Sabha MP for Maharashtra, until 1967 MP for Bhandara | 13 March 1967 | 22 August 1968 | 2 years, 150 days | Indian National Congress | Indira II | | Indira Gandhi |
| 5 | | | Panampilly Govinda Menon (1906–1970) MP for Mukundapuram | 22 August 1968 | 23 May 1970 | 1 year, 274 days | Indian National Congress | Indira II | | Indira Gandhi |
| 6 | | | Kengal Hanumanthaiah (1908–1980) MP for Bangalore City | 26 May 1970 | 18 March 1971 | 296 days | Indian National Congress (R) | Indira II | | Indira Gandhi |
| 7 | | | Siddhartha Shankar Ray (1920–2010) MP for Raiganj | 18 March 1971 | 20 March 1972 | 1 year, 2 days | Indian National Congress (R) | Indira III | | Indira Gandhi |
| 8 | | | Saiyid Nurul Hasan (1921–1993) Rajya Sabha MP for Uttar Pradesh (MoS, I/C) | 24 March 1972 | 24 March 1977 | 5 years, 0 days | Indian National Congress (R) | Indira III | | Indira Gandhi |
| 9 | | | Pratap Chandra Chunder (1919–2008) MP for Calcutta North East | 24 March 1977 | 28 July 1979 | 2 years, 126 days | Janata Party | Desai | | Morarji Desai |
| 10 | | | Karan Singh (born 1931) MP for Udhampur | 28 July 1979 | 19 August 1979 | 22 days | Indian National Congress (Urs) | Charan | | Charan Singh |
| 11 | | | Sathyavani Muthu (1923–1999) Rajya Sabha MP for Tamil Nadu | 19 August 1979 | 23 December 1979 | 126 days | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | Charan | | Charan Singh |
| 12 | | | Shankarrao Chavan (1920–2004) MP for Nanded | 19 October 1980 | 8 August 1981 | 293 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Indira IV | | Indira Gandhi |
| 13 | | | Sheila Kaul (1915–2015) MP for Lucknow (MoS, I/C) | 8 August 1981 | 31 October 1984 | 3 years, 140 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Indira IV | | Indira Gandhi |
| 13 | | | Sheila Kaul (1915–2015) MP for Lucknow (MoS, I/C) | 4 November 1984 | 31 December 1984 | 3 years, 140 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Rajiv I | | Rajiv Gandhi |
| Minister of Women and Social Welfare |||||||||||
| 14 | | | Maragatham Chandrasekar (1917–2001) MP for Sriperumbudur (MoS, I/C) | 31 December 1984 | 25 September 1985 | 268 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Rajiv II | | Rajiv Gandhi |
| 15 | | | Rajendra Kumari Bajpai (1925–1999) MP for Sitapur (MoS, I/C) | 25 September 1985 | 2 December 1989 | 4 years, 68 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Rajiv II | | Rajiv Gandhi |
| Minister of Welfare ||||||||||
| 16 | | | Ram Vilas Paswan (1946–2020) MP for Hajipur | 6 December 1989 | 10 November 1990 | 1 year, 4 days | Janata Dal | Vishwanath | | Vishwanath Pratap Singh |
| – | | | Chandra Shekhar (1927–2007) MP for Ballia (Prime Minister) | 21 November 1990 | 21 June 1991 | 212 days | Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) | Chandra Shekhar | | Chandra Shekhar |
| 17 | | | Sitaram Kesri (1919–2000) Rajya Sabha MP for Bihar | 21 June 1991 | 16 May 1996 | 4 years, 330 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Rao | | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| 18 | | | Kariya Munda (born 1936) MP for Khunti | 16 May 1996 | 1 June 1996 | 16 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Vajpayee I | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 19 | | | Balwant Singh Ramoowalia (born 1942) Rajya Sabha MP for Uttar Pradesh | 1 June 1996 | 21 April 1997 | 1 year, 291 days | Independent | Deve Gowda | | H. D. Deve Gowda |
| 19 | | | Balwant Singh Ramoowalia (born 1942) Rajya Sabha MP for Uttar Pradesh | 21 April 1997 | 19 March 1998 | 1 year, 291 days | Independent | Gujral | | Inder Kumar Gujral |
| 20 | | | Maneka Gandhi (born 1956) MP for Pilibhit (MoS, I/C) | 19 March 1998 | 23 May 1998 | 65 days | Independent | Vajpayee II | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment |||||||||||
| 21 | | | Maneka Gandhi (born 1956) MP for Pilibhit (MoS, I/C) | 23 May 1998 | 13 October 1999 | 3 years, 101 days | Independent | Vajpayee II | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 21 | | | Maneka Gandhi (born 1956) MP for Pilibhit (MoS, I/C) | 13 October 1999 | 1 September 2001 | 3 years, 101 days | Independent | Vajpayee III | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 22 | | | Satyanarayan Jatiya (born 1946) MP for Ujjain | 1 September 2001 | 22 May 2004 | 2 years, 264 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Vajpayee III | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 23 | | | Meira Kumar (born 1945) MP for Sasaram | 23 May 2004 | 22 May 2009 | 4 years, 364 days | Indian National Congress | Manmohan I | | Manmohan Singh |
| 24 | | | Mukul Wasnik (born 1959) MP for Ramtek | 28 May 2009 | 27 October 2012 | 3 years, 152 days | Indian National Congress | Manmohan II | | Manmohan Singh |
| 26 | | | Selja Kumari (born 1962) MP for Ambala | 28 October 2012 | 28 January 2014 | 1 year, 92 days | Indian National Congress | Manmohan II | | Manmohan Singh |
| 27 | | | Mallikarjun Kharge (born 1941) MP for Gulbarga | 28 January 2014 | 26 May 2014 | 118 days | Indian National Congress | Manmohan II | | Manmohan Singh |
| 28 | | | Thawar Chand Gehlot (born 1948) Rajya Sabha MP for Madhya Pradesh | 27 May 2014 | 30 May 2019 | 7 years, 41 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi I | | Narendra Modi |
| 28 | | | Thawar Chand Gehlot (born 1948) Rajya Sabha MP for Madhya Pradesh | 31 May 2019 | 7 July 2021 | 7 years, 41 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi II | | Narendra Modi |
| 29 | | | Virendra Kumar Khatik (born 1954) MP for Tikamgarh | 7 July 2021 | 9 June 2024 | 3 years, 251 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi II | | Narendra Modi |
| 29 | | | Virendra Kumar Khatik (born 1954) MP for Tikamgarh | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | 3 years, 251 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi III | | Narendra Modi |

## Ministers of State

| No. | Portrait | Portrait | Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Ministry | Prime Minister | Prime Minister |
| No. | Portrait | Portrait | Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency | From | To | Period | Political party | Ministry | Prime Minister | Prime Minister |
| Minister of State of Social Security |||||||||||
| 1 | | | Ramchandra Martand Hajarnavis (1908–1976) MP for Bhandara | 29 October 1965 | 11 January 1966 | 74 days | Indian National Congress | Shastri | | Lal Bahadur Shastri |
| Minister of State of Social Welfare |||||||||||
| 2 | | | Phulrenu Guha (1912–2006) Rajya Sabha MP for West Bengal | 13 March 1967 | 26 June 1970 | 3 years, 105 days | Indian National Congress | Indira II | | Indira Gandhi |
| 3 | | | Kotha Raghuramaiah (1912–1979) MP for Guntur | 18 March 1967 | 14 February 1969 | 1 year, 333 days | Indian National Congress | Indira II | | Indira Gandhi |
| 4 | | | Jagannath Rao MP for Chatrapur | 27 June 1970 | 18 March 1971 | 264 days | Indian National Congress (R) | Indira II | | Indira Gandhi |
| 5 | | | Saiyid Nurul Hasan (1921–1993) Rajya Sabha MP for Uttar Pradesh | 4 October 1971 | 24 March 1972 | 172 days | Indira III | | | Indira Gandhi |
| 6 | | | Dhanna Singh Gulshan MP for Bathinda | 14 August 1977 | 28 July 1979 | 1 year, 348 days | Janata Party | Desai | | Morarji Desai |
| 7 | | | Renuka Devi Barkataki (1932–2017) MP for Gauhati | 16 August 1977 | 28 July 1979 | 1 year, 346 days | Janata Party | Desai | | Morarji Desai |
| 8 | | | Rashida Haque Choudhury MP for Silchar | 30 July 1979 | 24 August 1979 | 25 days | Indian National Congress (Urs) | Charan | | Charan Singh |
| 9 | | | Sheila Kaul (1915–2015) MP for Lucknow | 19 October 1980 | 8 August 1981 | 293 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Indira IV | | Indira Gandhi |
| Minister of State for Welfare |||||||||||
| 10 | | | Aslam Sher Khan (born 1953) MP for Betul | 15 September 1995 | 16 May 1996 | 244 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Rao | | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment |||||||||||
| 11 | | | Satyabrata Mookherjee (1932–2023) MP for Krishnanagar | 1 July 2002 | 29 January 2003 | 212 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Vajpayee III | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 12 | | | Sanjay Paswan (born 1962) MP for Nawada | 29 January 2003 | 24 May 2003 | 115 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Vajpayee III | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 13 | | | Kailash Chandra Meghwal (born 1934) MP for Tonk | 24 May 2003 | 22 May 2004 | 364 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Vajpayee III | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 14 | | | Nagmani (born 1953) MP for Chatra | 24 May 2003 | 22 May 2004 | 364 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Vajpayee III | | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 15 | | | Subbulakshmi Jagadeesan (born 1947) MP for Tiruchengode | 23 May 2004 | 22 May 2009 | 4 years, 364 days | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | Manmohan I | | Manmohan Singh |
| 16 | | | Napoleon (born 1963) MP for Perambalur | 28 May 2009 | 20 March 2013 | 3 years, 296 days | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | Manmohan II | | Manmohan Singh |
| 17 | | | Porika Balram Naik (born 1964) MP for Mahabubabad | 28 October 2012 | 26 May 2014 | 1 year, 210 days | Indian National Congress | Manmohan II | | Manmohan Singh |
| 18 | | | Manikrao Hodlya Gavit (1934–2022) MP for Nandurbar | 17 June 2013 | 26 May 2014 | 343 days | Indian National Congress | Manmohan II | | Manmohan Singh |
| 19 | | | Sudarshan Bhagat (born 1969) MP for Lohardaga | 27 May 2014 | 9 November 2014 | 166 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi I | | Narendra Modi |
| 20 | | | Krishan Pal Gurjar (born 1957) MP for Faridabad | 9 November 2014 | 30 May 2019 | 4 years, 202 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi I | | Narendra Modi |
| 21 | | | Vijay Sampla (born 1961) MP for Hoshiarpur | 9 November 2014 | 30 May 2019 | 4 years, 202 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi I | | Narendra Modi |
| 22 | | | Ramdas Athawale (born 1959) Rajya Sabha MP for Maharashtra | 5 July 2016 | 30 May 2019 | 2 years, 329 days | Republican Party of India (Athawale) | Modi I | | Narendra Modi |
| (20) | | | Krishan Pal Gurjar (born 1957) MP for Faridabad | 31 May 2019 | 7 July 2021 | 2 years, 37 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi II | | Narendra Modi |
| (22) | | | Ramdas Athawale (born 1959) Rajya Sabha MP for Maharashtra | 31 May 2019 | 9 June 2024 | 5 years, 9 days | Republican Party of India (Athawale) | Modi II | | Narendra Modi |
| 23 | | | Rattan Lal Kataria (1951–2023) MP for Ambala | 31 May 2019 | 7 July 2021 | 2 years, 37 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi II | | Narendra Modi |
| 24 | | | A. Narayanaswamy (born 1957) MP for Chitradurga | 7 July 2021 | 9 June 2024 | 2 years, 338 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi II | | Narendra Modi |
| 25 | | | Pratima Bhoumik (born 1969) MP for Tripura West | 7 July 2021 | 9 June 2024 | 2 years, 338 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi II | | Narendra Modi |
| (22) | | | Ramdas Athawale (born 1959) Rajya Sabha MP for Maharashtra | 11 June 2024 | Incumbent | 277 days | Republican Party of India (Athawale) | Modi III | | Narendra Modi |
| 26 | | | B. L. Verma (born 1961) Rajya Sabha MP for Uttar Pradesh | 11 June 2024 | Incumbent | 277 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi III | | Narendra Modi |