Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated Kartavya Bhavan, the first of the ten upcoming Common Central Secretariat buildings to house the bureaucracy.
The ambitious project is aimed at bringing ministries and departments under one roof for efficiency.
Kartavya Bhavan-03, the first to be inaugurated, will house the Home Affairs, External Affairs, Rural Development, MSME, DoPT, Petroleum & Natural Gas ministries, and the Principal Scientific Adviser's office.
Many key ministries currently function from ageing buildings like Shastri Bhawan, Krishi Bhawan, Udyog Bhawan, and Nirman Bhawan, constructed between the 1950s and 1970s, which are now "structurally outdated and inefficient," according to the government.
The prime minister, accompanied by Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Ministry Secretary HUA Secretary Katikithala Srinivas, took a tour of the newly constructed building. Srinivas briefed PM Modi about the features of Kartavya Bhavan.
The HUA Ministry has plans to construct ten buildings as part of the Common Central Secretariat (CCS) under the government's Central Vista redevelopment project.
Two CCS buildings, 1 and 2, are scheduled to be completed by next month, while construction work on CCS 10 will be finished by April next year. The project of CCS buildings 6 and 7 will be completed by October 2026.
On Tuesday, Khattar said that offices functioning from the four bhawans will shift to four new locations on Kasturba Gandhi Marg, Minto Road, and Netaji Palace temporarily for two years, while the construction is carried out.
A few buildings are currently proposed to be retained.
These include the National Museum, National Archives, Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan (External Affairs Ministry), and Dr Ambedkar Auditorium, which are new buildings. Vanijya Bhawan will also be retained.
Under the Central Vista redevelopment plan, the government has already constructed a new Parliament building and the Vice President Enclave, and redeveloped the Kartavya Path that spans from Vijay Chowk to India Gate.
Besides the Common Central Secretariat, the government will also construct an Executive Enclave that will house a new Prime Minister's Office (PMO), Cabinet Secretariat, India House, and National Security Council Secretariat.
Under the second phase of the Executive Enclave, a new prime minister's residence will be constructed.
The plinth area of the Kartavya Bhavan-03 is 1.5 lakh square metres with a basement area of 40,000 square metres. Its parking lot can accommodate 600 cars.
The HUA ministry said the Kartavya Bhavan-03 has a creche, a yoga room, a medical room, a cafe, a kitchen, and a multipurpose hall.
It has 24 main conference rooms, each with a capacity to seat 45 people, 26 small conference rooms, each with a capacity to seat 25 people, 67 meeting rooms, and 27 lifts.