First Government After Independence

The governor-general and the ministers were sworn in. Jawaharlal Nehru took charge as the first Prime Minister of India on August 15, 1947, and was assisted by 15 other members. Sardar Patel served as the deputy prime minister till his death in December 1950. Lord Mountbatten, and later

C. Rajagopalachari served as Governor-General till January 26, 1950, when India became a republic and elected Rajendra Prasad as its first president.

The first Council of Ministers of Independent India was as follows.

1. Jawaharlal Nehru: Prime Minister; Minister of External Affairs and Commonwealth Relations; Minister of Scientific Research

2. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel: Deputy Prime Minister; Minister of Home Affairs and States; Minister of Information and Broadcasting

3. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad: Minister of Education

4. John Mathai: Minister of Railways and Transport

5. Sardar Baldev Singh: Minister of Defence

6. Jairamdas Daulatram: Minister of Food and Agriculture

7. Jagjivan Ram: Minister of Labour

8. C.H. Bhabha: Minister of Commerce

9. Amrit Kaur: Minister of Health

10. Rafi Ahmad Kidwai: Minister of Communications

11. Narhar Vishnu Gadgil: Minister of Works, Mines and Power

12. R.K. Shanmukham Chetty: Minister of Finance

13. K.C. Neogy: Minister of Relief and Rehabilitation

14. B.R. Ambedkar: Minister of Law (belonged to the Scheduled Castes Federation; resigned in 1951)

15. Shyama Prasad Mookherjee: Minister of Industries and Supplies [Hindu Mahasabha; first to resign from the cabinet in April 1950]

16. Narasimha Gopalaswami Ayyangar: Minister without portfolio; assigned the task to act as a link between the union government and the cabinet of East Punjab government

17. Mohanlal Saxena: Minister without portfolio