The central seat of power in India has a new address, a few kilometres away from the Colonial era North and South Blocks on Raisina Hill. All key ministries will shift from these iconic buildings to the swanky Common Central Secretariat (CCS), which houses 10 buildings that are interconnected underground.

As part of the larger Central Vista Redevelopment Project, the North and South Blocks will be converted into a new national museum, christened the ‘Yuge Yugeen Bharat National Museum’, that would showcase the country’s rich culture and heritage.

The Directorate of Estates, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, issued an office memorandum (OA) on Wednesday, specifying the office space allotted to seven ministries and departments in the new Common Central Secretariat (CCS) Buildings. The shift is expected to start from July and August,said government sources.

 

New location

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which occupies North Block, will now move to 347 different rooms on the fourth, fifth and sixth floors of the CCS Buildings, the Directorate of Estates’ schedule, accessed by businessline, revealed.

The other occupant of North Block, the Department of Personnel and Training, will be relocated and function out of 86 rooms on the Upper Ground Floor and Ground Floor of the CCS Buildings.

The Ministry of External Affairs, which occupies part of South Block and Shastri Bhavan, will function out of 105 separate rooms on the third floor of the new accommodation.

Similarly, the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor will move out from Vigyan Bhawan Annexe to 28 rooms on the third floor of the CCS Buildings, the OA announced.

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry officials and other staff will vacate their offices in Shastri Bhawan, and take up 84 rooms on the ground and first floors of the new building.

The Micro Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Ministry and Office of the Development Commissioner, MSME, will have 57 rooms on the second floor of the new Building. As of now, they have offices in Udyog Bhawan.

Finally, the Rural Development Ministry and its Department of Land Resources have been allocated 104 rooms on the Ground Floor and Second Floor of the CCS Buildings. While some of the Rural Development Ministry offices operate out of Krishi Bhawan, the Department of Land Resources is situated in Nirman Bhawan.

The Directorate of Estates said a separate order will be issued for dedicated parking space for the Ministries and a facilitation desk has been set up by the CPWD for the smooth transition of the offices to the new locations.

All the 51 Ministries are proposed to be housed at one location to improve coordination, collaboration and synergy within the Central Government.

The office spaces will no longer be obscure, cluttered, and scattered, with electrical and telephone wires hanging from the ceiling; they would have modern technological features and adequate space, with amenities to hold about 54,000 personnel in future. 

Published on June 12, 2025