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Ministers of Indian Railway 1947 to 2024, List, Name and Background

The compilation of Railway Ministers in India holds significant relevance in various competitive government examinations like SSC, Banking, and State PSC exams. This article provides an exhaustive list of the individuals who have served as Railway Ministers in India, serving as a valuable study aid for exam preparation. Delve into this comprehensive list to enhance your general awareness and stay abreast of the notable personalities who have played pivotal roles in overseeing the nation’s railway sector.

Latest on Indian Railways

First Female Chairman of the Railway Board

Jaya Varma Sinha is the current Chairman and CEO of the Railway Board of the Indian Railways. She joined office on 1st September 2023, becoming the first female chairman of the Railway Board in its 118-year history. She has been appointed Chairperson of the Railway Board which is the highest decision-making body within the Railway Ministry of India.

Who is Jaya Varma Sinha?

Jaya Verma Sinha previously held the position of Member (Operations and Business Development) on the Railway Board. She was involved in managing the Balasore train accident and served as a railway adviser at the High Commission of India in Dhaka, Bangladesh, for four years. During her time there, she played a key role in the inauguration of the Maitree Express.

What is Indian Railways?

Established on May 6, 1836, Indian Railways (IR) is a government agency operating under the Ministry of Railways, entrusted with the task of managing India’s extensive railway system. Renowned for employing one of the world’s largest workforces, Indian Railways boasts the fourth-largest railway network globally, covering 126,511 kilometers (78,610 miles) as of December 31, 2021. Of this, 45,881 kilometers (28,509 miles) or 35% of the broad-gauge routes have been electrified using 25 kV 50 Hz AC electric traction as of April 1, 2021.

Railway Minister of India

The Railway Minister of India plays an important role in overseeing the vast and intricate railway network of the country. This minister is responsible for policy decisions, development, and maintenance of Indian Railways. Their leadership and decisions significantly impact the nation’s transportation and economy.

Who is the Railway Minister of India 2024

The Railway Minister of India in 2024 is Ashwini Vaishnaw. He is also the Minister of Communications, Electronics & Information Technology in the Government of India. Vaishnaw was born in 1972 in Chennai, India. He did his B.Tech from IIT Kharagpur and his MBA from Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He worked as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley and McKinsey & Company before entering politics.

Vaishnaw was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Odisha in 2019. He was appointed the Railway Minister in July 2021. He has focused on improving the efficiency and safety of the Indian Railways. He has also launched a number of new initiatives, such as the Vande Bharat Express trains and the Gati Shakti project. Vaishnaw is a popular figure in India, and he is known for his efficiency and his commitment to his work. He is widely respected for his efforts to improve the Indian Railways.

Current Railway Minister of India

The current Railway Minister of India is Ashwini Vaishnaw. He also handles the Ministry of Communications, Electronics & Information Technology in the Indian government. Born in 1972 in Chennai, India, he studied engineering at IIT Kharagpur and earned an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Before his political career, he worked as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley and McKinsey & Company.

Who is Union Railway Minister?

The Railway Minister, with cabinet rank, oversees Indian Railways. In the past, they presented the separate Railway Budget in Parliament before it was merged with the general budget. In case the Railway Minister’s position is vacant, the Prime Minister temporarily takes charge of the role.

Background of Railway Ministers of India

  • In the Central Government, The first Indian Minister of Railways was Asaf Ali.  He was on the post from  2 September 1946 to 14 August 1947. Even though India was still under British rule at the time, the position of railways minister had not been clearly defined.
  • Ashwini Vaishnav is currently India’s minister of railways. The transportation minister’s yearly presentation of the railway budget has changed since 2017 when it was combined with the Union budget.

List of Railways Ministers of India from 1947- 2024

The list of Railways Ministers of India includes the name of all Union Railways Ministers in India since Independence.

            List of Railways Ministers of India from 1947- 2024
No. Minister Term In Term Out Total Term Party
1 John Mathai 15 August 1947 22 September 1948 1 Year 38 Days INC
2 N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar 22 September 1948 13 May 1952 3 Years 234 Days INC
3 Lal Bahadur Shastri 13 May 1952 07 December  1956 4 Years 208 Days INC
4 Jagjivan Ram 07 December  1956 10 April 1962 5 Years 124 Days INC
5 Swaran Singh 10 April 1962 21 September 1963 1 Year 164 Days INC
6 H. C. Dasappa 21 September 1963 08 June 1964 261 Days INC
7 S. K. Patil 09 June 1964 12 March 1967 2 Years 276 Days INC
8 C. M. Poonacha 13 March 1967 14 February 1969 1 Year 338 Days INC
9 Ram Subhag Singh 14 February 1969 04 November 1969 263 Days INC
10 Panampilly Govinda Menon 04 November 1969 18 February 1970 106 Days INC
11 Gulzarilal Nanda 18 February 1970 17 March 1971 1 Year 27 Days INC
12 K. Hanumanthaiah 18 March 1971 22 July 1972 1 Year 126 Days INC
13 T. A. Pai 23 July 1972 04 Feb. 1973 196 Days INC
14 Lalit Narayan Mishra 05 Feb. 1973 02 Jan. 1975 1 Year 331 Days INC
15 Kamalapati Tripathi 11 Feb. 1975 23 March 1977 2 Years 40 Days INC
16 Madhu Dandavate 26 March 1977 28 July 1979 2 Year 124 Days JP
~ T. A. Pai 30 July 1979 14 Jan. 1980 168 Days JP (S)
~ Kamalapati Tripathi 14 Jan. 1980 12 Nov. 1980 303 Days INC
17 Kedar Pandey 12 Nov. 1980 14 Jan. 1982 1 Year 63 Days INC
18 Prakash Chandra Sethi 15 Jan. 1982 02 Sep. 1982 230 Days INC
19 A. B. A. Ghani Khan Choudhury 02 Sep. 1982 31 Dec. 1984 2 Years 120 Days INC
20 Bansi Lal 31 Dec. 1984 24 June 1986 1 Year 175 Days INC
21 Mohsina Kidwai 24 June 1986 21 Oct. 1986 119 Days INC
22 Madhavrao Scindia 22 Oct. 1986 02 Dec. 1989 3 Years 41 Days INC
23 George Fernandes 02 Dec. 1989 10 Nov. 1990 343 Days JD (NF)
24 Janeshwar Mishra 21 Nov. 1990 21 June 1991 212 Days SJP (R)
25 C. K. Jaffer Sharief 21 June 1991 17 Oct. 1995 4 Years 118 Days INC
26 Ram Vilas Paswan 01 Jun. 1996 19 March 1998 1 Year 291 Days JD (UF)
27 Nitish Kumar 19 March 1998 05 Aug. 1999 1 Year 139 Days SP
28 Ram Naik 06 Aug.1999 13 Oct. 1999 69 Days BJP
29 Mamata Banerjee 13 Oct. 1999 15 March 2001 1 Year 153 Days AITC
~ Nitish Kumar 20 March 2001 22 May 2004 3 Years 63 Days JD (U)
30 Lalu Prasad Yadav 22 May 2004 22 May 2009 5 Years 0 Days RJD
~ Mamata Banerjee 22 May 2009 19 May 2011 1 Year 362 Days AITC
31 Dinesh Trivedi 12 July 2011 19 Mar 2012 251 Days AITC
32 Mukul Roy 20 March 2012 22 Sep 2012 186 Days AITC
33 C. P. Joshi 22 Sep 2012 28 Oct 2012 36 Days INC
34 Pawan Kumar Bansal 29 Oct. 2012 10 May 2013 194 Days INC
~ C. P. Joshi 13 May 2013 14 June 2013 32 Days INC
35 Mallikarjun Kharge 17 June 2013 26 May 2014 343 Days INC
36 D. V. Sadananda Gowda 26 May 2014 09 Nov. 2014 167 Days BJP
37 Suresh Prabhu 09 November 2014 03 September 2017 2 Years 298 Days BJP
38 Piyush Goyal 03 September 2017 07 July 2021 3 Years 307 Days BJP
39 Ashwini Vaishnaw 07 July 2021 Incumbent ~ BJP

List of Ministers Of State In The Ministry of Railways

No. Name Term In Term Out Total Term Party
1 Manoj Sinha 26 May 2014 30 May 2019 5 Years 4 Days BJP
2 Rajen Gohain 5 July 2016 30 May 2019 4 Years 329 Days BJP
3 Suresh Angadi 30 May 2019 23 Sep 2020 1 Year 116 Days BJP
4 Raosaheb Danve 7 July 2021 2024 ~ BJP
5 Darshana Jardosh 7 July 2021 2024 ~ BJP
6 Shri V. Somanna
2024 Incumbent BJP
7 Shri Ravneet Singh 204 Incumbent BJP

Minister of Railway of India

The Ministry of Railways of India is a government ministry that undertakes the country’s rail transportation. The railway ministry supervises, manages, and controls the Indian Railways. It is a statutory corporation that acts as a rail transportation monopoly. The ministry is led by the Chairman and CEO of the Railway Board. The Ministry of Railways and the Board are set up in Rail Bhawan, New Delhi, and was founded in 1905.

Ministry of Railway Department and Establishment

India got its first train for transporting granite for road building. The Godavari Dam Construction Railway was built in Rajahmundry to supply stone for the construction of a dam over the Godavari River in 1845. In 1851, the Solani Aqueduct Railway was built in Roorkee to transport construction materials for an aqueduct over the Solani River.

First Railway Minister of India

John Mathai was the first railway minister of independent India. He was an eminent economist and member of the Indian National Congress Party. He also presented the first railway budget of independent India in 1948 as the finance minister for two years. Furthermore, Mathai was the first Chairman of the State Bank of India when it was set up in 1955. He was also the first President of the Governing Body of India’s first independent economic policy institute, the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) in New Delhi, which was founded in 1956. From 1955 to 1957, he was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mumbai, and then from 1957 to 1959, he was the first Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kerala.

First Woman Railway Minister of India

The first female Minister of Railways in India was Mamata Banerjee. She served as minister from 1999 until 2001. She served again as Railway Minister from 2009 until 2011.

The first woman in the Indian Railway was Surekha Yadav who made an impressionable mark in a historically male operating field as she achieved the distinction of becoming India’s first female train driver.

Ministry of Railway Board

The Railway Board serves as the executive arm of the Ministry of Railways in India and is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Indian Railways. The board is headed by the chairman, preferably an IAS. The Board basically helps in formulating policies and plans for the development and operation of the Indian Railways. It also approves budgets and oversees expenditures to ensure the efficient use of resources. The Board establishes guidelines and standards to maintain a high level of safety across the railway network. The Board also addresses public grievances related to railway services, ensuring an easy redressal mechanism. It is responsible for the smooth operation, growth, and development of the Indian railways that connect people and goods across the country.

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FAQs

Who is the present Railway Minister in India?

Ashwini Vaishnaw is the present Union Railways Minister of India.

Who is the incumbent Railways Minister of India?

Ashwini Vaishnav took the charge in July 2021.

Who was the first Railways Minister of India?

The first Indian Minister of Railways was Asaf Ali.

What is the total route length of Indian Railways?

The total route length of Indian Railways is 126,511 km.

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