First Nehru ministry

Union Council of Ministers headed by Jawaharlal Nehru

First Nehru ministry

1st ministry of the Dominion of India
and later the Republic of India

The cabinet of India on 31 January 1950, along with the newly appointed President Rajendra Prasad. (L to R sitting) B. R. Ambedkar, Rafi Ahmed Kidwai, Sardar Baldev Singh, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajendra Prasad, Vallabhbhai Patel, John Mathai, Jagjivan Ram, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur and S. P. Mukherjee. (L to R standing) Khurshed Lal, R. R. Diwakar, Mohanlal Saksena, N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar, N.V. Gadgil, K. C. Neogy, Jairamdas Daulatram, K. Santhanam, Satya Narayan Sinha and B. V. Keskar

Date formed| 15 August 1947 (1947-08-15)
Date dissolved| 15 April 1952 (1952-04-15)
People and organisations
President| Rajendra Prasad (1950–52)
Governor-General|

* The Viscount Mountbatten of Burma
(1947–48)
* Chakravarti Rajagopalachari
(1948–50)

Prime minister| Jawaharlal Nehru
Deputy Prime minister| Vallabhbhai Patel (until 15 December 1950)
Member party| Indian National Congress
Status in legislature| Majority

208 / 299

Opposition party| None
Opposition leader| None
History
Election(s)| 1945 Indian general election
Outgoing election| 1951 Indian general election
Legislature term(s)| 4 years and 8 months
Predecessor| Interim
Successor| Second Nehru ministry

After power transformation, on 15 August 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru assumed office as the first Prime Minister of India and chose fifteen ministers to form the First Nehru ministry.

## Background[edit]

The Constituent Assembly was set up while India was still under British rule, following negotiations between Indian leaders and members of the 1946 Cabinet Mission to India from the United Kingdom. The provincial assembly elections had been conducted early in 1946. The Constituent Assembly members were elected to it indirectly by the members of these newly elected provincial assemblies, and initially included representatives for those provinces which came to form part of Pakistan, some of which are now within Bangladesh. The Constituent Assembly had 299 representatives, including nine women.

The Interim Government of India was formed on 2 September 1946 from the newly elected Constituent Assembly. The Indian National Congress held a large majority in the Assembly, with 69 percent of all of the seats, while the Muslim League held almost all of the seats reserved in the Assembly for Muslims. There were also some members from smaller parties, such as the Scheduled Caste Federation, the Communist Party of India, and the Unionist Party. In June 1947, the delegations from the provinces of Sindh, East Bengal, Baluchistan, West Punjab, and the North West Frontier Province withdrew, to form the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, meeting in Karachi. On 15 August 1947, the Dominion of India and Dominion of Pakistan became independent nations, and the members of the Constituent Assembly who had not withdrawn to Karachi became India's Parliament. Only 28 members of the Muslim League finally joined the Indian Assembly. Later, 93 members were nominated from the princely states. The Congress thus secured a majority of 82%.

Jawaharlal Nehru took charge as the first Prime Minister of India on 15 August 1947, and chose 15 other members for his cabinet. Vallabhbhai Patel served as the first Deputy Prime Minister until his death on 15 December 1950. Lord Mountbatten, and later C. Rajagopalachari, served as Governor-General until 26 January 1950, when Rajendra Prasad was elected as the first President of India.[1] [2]

## Cabinet members[edit]

Lord Mountbatten swears in Jawaharlal Nehru as the first Prime Minister of India on 15 August 1947.

There were members from Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh and Parsi communities represented in India's first ministry. There were two members from the Dalit community represented as well.[3][4] Rajkumari Amrit Kaur was the only female Cabinet minister. The following is a list of the ministers in the first Cabinet.[1]

Key

* † Died in office
* RES Resigned

Portfolio | Minister | Took office | Left office | Party

|
|
|
|

Prime Minister
Minister of External Affairs and Commonwealth Relations
Minister of Scientific Research|

Jawaharlal Nehru

| 15 August 1947| Second Nehru ministry|  | INC
Deputy Prime Minister|

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

| 15 August 1947| 15 December 1950[†]|  | INC
Minister of Home Affairs and States|

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

| 15 August 1947| 15 December 1950[†]|  | INC

C. Rajagopalachari[5]

| 26 December 1950| 25 October 1951[RES]|  | INC

Kailash Nath Katju

| 1951| Second Nehru ministry|  | INC
Minister of Information and Broadcasting|

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

| 15 August 1947| 1949|  | INC

R. R. Diwakar[6]

| 1949| 15 April 1952|  | INC
Minister of Finance|

R. K. Shanmukham Chetty

| 15 August 1947| 1950|  | INC

John Matthai

| 6 May 1950| 1950[RES]|  | INC

C. D. Deshmukh

| 1950| Second Nehru ministry|  | INC
Minister of Law|

B. R. Ambedkar[5]

| 15 August 1947| 1951[RES]|  | SCF
Minister of Defence|

Baldev Singh

| 15 August 1947| Second Nehru ministry|  | Panthic Party
Minister of Railways and Minister of Transport|

John Matthai

| 15 August 1947| 22 September 1948|  | INC

N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar

| 22 September 1948| Second Nehru ministry|  | INC
Minister of Education|

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

| 15 August 1947| Second Nehru ministry|  | INC
Minister of Food and Agriculture|

Rajendra Prasad

| 15 August 1947| 14 Jan 1948|  | INC

Jairamdas Daulatram

| 19 Jan 1948| 13 May 1950[RES]|  | INC
Minister of Industries and Supplies|

Syama Prasad Mukherjee

| 15 August 1947| 6 April 1950[RES]|  | Hindu Mahasabha

Harekrushna Mahatab

| 13 May 1950| 26 December 1950[RES]|  | INC
Minister of Labour|

Jagjivan Ram

| 15 August 1947| 15 April 1952|  | INC
Minister of Commerce|

Cooverji Hormusji Bhabha

| 15 August 1947| 15 April 1952|  | INC
Minister of Communications|

Rafi Ahmed Kidwai

| 15 August 1947| 15 April 1952|  | INC
Minister of Health|

Amrit Kaur

| 15 August 1947| 15 April 1952|  | INC
Minister of Works, Minister ofMines and Power|

Narhar Vishnu Gadgil

| 15 August 1947| 15 April 1952|  | INC
Minister of Relief and Rehabilitation|

K. C. Neogy

| 15 August 1947| April 1950[RES]|  | INC
Minister without portfolio|

N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar[7]

| 15 August 1947| 22 September 1948|  | INC

Mohanlal Saxena

| 15 August 1947| 15 April 1952|  | INC

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b Krishna, Ananth V. (2011). India Since Independence: Making Sense Of Indian Politics. India: Pearson Education India. pp. 34–36. ISBN 9788131734650. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
2. ^ Ramachandra Guha, "India After Gandhi", Picador India, 2007. ISBN 978-0-330-39610-3
3. ^ "The New Cabinet". Hindustan Times. 15 August 1947. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
4. ^ "New Cabinet of India". The Times of India. 15 August 1947. p. 1. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
5. ^ a b Sidin Vadukut (8 November 2014). "Déjà View | The Chetty Affair | Mint". Livemint.com. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
6. ^ "Rajya Sabha Members, Biographical Sketches, 1952 – 2003: D" (PDF).
7. ^ "10 facts about Article 370 that you need to know – Elections News". Indiatoday.intoday.in. Retrieved 19 April 2022.

## Further reading[edit]

* Josy Joseph (5 June 2008) Star wars in Nehru cabinet – DNA

* v
* t
* e

First Nehru ministry

* Nehru (Prime Minister, External Affairs)
* Patel (Deputy Prime Minister, Home Affairs)
* Singh (Defence)
* Chetty (Finance)
* Azad (Education)
* Ram (Labour)
* Ambedkar (Law)
* Gadgil (Public Works, Power)
* Kidwai (Communications)
* Mookerjee (Industry)
* Kaur (Health)
* Matthai (Railways)

* v
* t
* e

Indian union ministries

* Interim
* Nehru I
* Nehru II
* Nehru III
* Nehru IV
* Nanda I
* Shastri
* Nanda II
* Indira I
* Indira II
* Desai
* Charan
* Indira III
* Rajiv I
* Rajiv II
* Vishwanath
* Chandra Shekhar
* Rao
* Vajpayee I
* Deve Gowda
* Gujral
* Vajpayee II
* Vajpayee III
* Manmohan I
* Manmohan II
* Modi I
* Modi II

* v
* t
* e

Jawaharlal Nehru

Life events
and administration|

* Indian National Congress
* Champaran Satyagraha
* Indian independence movement
* Non-cooperation movement
* Purna Swaraj
* flag
* Salt March
* Aundh Experiment
* Quit India
* Tryst with Destiny
* The light has gone out of our lives
* Constituent Assembly of India
* Interim Government of India
* 1950 University of Cambridge Chancellor election
* Liaquat–Nehru Pact
* Political integration of India
* List of international prime ministerial trips made by Jawaharlal Nehru
* Non-Aligned Movement
* First Nehru ministry
* Second Nehru ministry
* Third Nehru ministry
* Fourth Nehru ministry
* Indo-Pakistani War of 1947-1948
* Annexation of Goa
* Sino-Indian War

Philosophy|

* Scientific temper
* Secular humanism
* Secularism
* Secular state

Publications|

* An Autobiography
* Before Freedom: Nehru's Letters to His Sister 1909–1947
* The Discovery of India
* Glimpses of World History
* Letters from a Father to His Daughter
* National Herald

Influences|

* Theosophy
* G. M. Trevelyan
* Giuseppe Garibaldi
* Mahatma Gandhi
* Motilal Nehru
* Socialism
* Fabian Society

Associates|

* Abul Kalam Azad
* Subhas Chandra Bose
* V. K. Krishna Menon
* Panjabrao Deshmukh
* Vallabhbhai Patel
* Jagjivan Ram
* Morarji Desai
* Govind Vallabh Pant
* CD Deshmukh

Legacy|

* Gandhi cap
* Nehru jacket
* Nehru vest
* Nehru Brigade
* List of things named after Jawaharlal Nehru
* Jawaharlal Nehru Award
* Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship
* Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya
* Jawaharlal Nehru University

Family|

* Raj Kaul
* Gangadhar Nehru
* Nandlal Nehru
* Motilal Nehru
* Swarup Rani Nehru
* Brijlal Nehru
* Rameshwari Nehru
* Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit
* Uma Nehru
* Krishna Hutheesing
* Indira Gandhi
* Braj Kumar Nehru
* Nayantara Sahgal
* Feroze Gandhi
* Rajiv Gandhi
* Sanjay Gandhi
* Arun Nehru
* Sonia Gandhi
* Maneka Gandhi
* Rahul Gandhi
* Priyanka Vadra
* Varun Gandhi
* Robert Vadra

Influenced|

* Nelson Mandela
* Shashi Tharoor
* Atal Bihari Vajpayee
* Gamal Abdel Nasser
* P. B. Gajendragadkar

Memorials|

| International stadiums|

* Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Chennai)
* Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Delhi)
* Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Kochi)

|

Observances|

* Death and state funeral of Jawaharlal Nehru
* Children's Day (India)

Other|

* Anand Bhavan
* Teen Murti Bhavan
* Nehru Planetarium
* Jawahar Planetarium
* Shantivan
* Nehru Memorial Museum & Library
* Nehru: A Contemporary's Estimate

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