Ministry of Home Affairs (India)

The Ministry of Home Affairs (IAST: Gṛha Mantrālaya) is a ministry of the Government of India. It is mainly responsible for the maintenance of internal security and domestic policy. It is headed by the minister of home affairs.^[3]

The Ministry of Home Affairs is also the Cadre Controlling Authority for the Indian Police Service (IPS), DANIPS, DANICS and Central Secretariat Official Language Service (CSOLS).^[4]

During British rule, internal security, law enforcement, and public order were managed by the Home Department of the British Indian Government. This department was formally established in 1861 following the Indian Council Act, tasked with maintaining law and order, overseeing the police forces, and administering the criminal justice system across British India. It played a crucial role in maintaining colonial control, often focused on suppressing dissent and political movements against the British Raj.

The first home minister Vallabhbhai Patel had a decisive role in integrating 562 princely states into the Indian Union, which was done with V. P. Menon, a senior civil servant who served as Secretary to the Ministry of the States.

After India gained independence in 1947, the Home Department was reorganized into the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India. The new ministry was entrusted with crucial responsibilities for internal security, law and order, integration of princely states, border management, and the rehabilitation of refugees in the aftermath of Partition. Additionally, the ministry began the process of reorganizing states on linguistic lines, an endeavor that culminated in the States Reorganisation Act of 1956.

The ministry also assumed responsibility for the administration of Union Territories, citizenship laws, and the regulation of foreign nationals. With growing challenges of insurgency, terrorism, and communal violence, the ministry's role expanded to include counter-terrorism policies and coordination among various security agencies.

The home secretary (IAST: Gṛiha Sachiva) is the administrative head of the Ministry of Home Affairs. This post is held by a very senior IAS officer of the rank of secretary to Government of India. The current home secretary is Govind Mohan, IAS All Central Armed Police Forces such as the CRPF, CISF, BSF, etc. and the Union territory police forces are under the control of the Union Home Ministry. The Union home secretary is the chief advisor to the Union home minister on all matters such as policy formation, etc. The post of Union home secretary is equivalent to the chief secretary of a state. The Union home secretary draws salary at the pay level 17 of the 7th Central Pay Commission i.e. rupees 2,25,000 plus other allowances applicable per month which is equivalent to a chief secretary's salary.

Chiefs of CAPFs, NIA and IB have operational independence to manage their forces with policy directives coming from the ministry. DGs of CAPFs may also report to the special secretary (internal security) and special secretary/additional secretary (border management).

The Ministry of Home Affairs has the following constituent departments:

Attached/Subordinate Offices

• Andaman & Nicobar Islands Police
• Directorate General–Fire Services, Civil Defense and Home Guards
• Directorate of Forensic Science Services
• Delhi Police
• Central Armed Police Forces
  • Assam Rifles
  • Border Security Force
  • Central Industrial Security Force
  • Central Reserve Police Force
  • Indo-Tibetan Border Police
  • Sashastra Seema Bal
  • National Security Guard
• Intelligence Bureau
• National Investigation Agency
• National Disaster Management Agency
  • National Disaster Response Force
• Jammu and Kashmir Police

Commissions/Committees

• Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner
• National Human Rights Commission

Statutory Bodies

• Bureau of Immigration
• Narcotics Control Bureau
• National Crime Records Bureau

Councils

• Inter-State Council

Boards/Academies/Institutions

• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Hyderabad
• National Industrial Security Academy, Hyderabad
• North Eastern Police Academy, Umiam
• National Civil Defence College, Nagpur
• National Fire Service College, Nagpur
• National Forensic Sciences University, Gandhinagar
• Welfare and Rehabilitation Board, New Delhi
• National Institute of Disaster Management, New Delhi
• Regional Institute of Correctional Administration, Kolkata
• Rashtriya Raksha University, Gandhinagar

Autonomous Bodies, Boards & Corporations

• National Foundation for Communal Harmony
• Repco Bank

Department of Border Management, dealing with the management of borders, including coastal borders.

Attached/Subordinated Offices

• Central Translation Bureau

Commissions/Committees

• Committee of Parliament on Official Language
• Town Official Language Implementation Committee

Statutory Bodies

• Central Hindi Training Institute

These are organizational divisions of the ministry itself, without the splitting into specialised departments.^[6]

Handling all administrative and vigilance matters, allocation of work among various Divisions of the ministry and monitoring of compliance of furnishing information under the Right to Information Act, 2005, matters relating to the Order of Precedence, Padma Awards, Gallantry Awards, Jeevan Raksha Padak Awards, National Flag, National Anthem, State Emblem of India and Secretariat Security Organisation.

Matters relating to coordination by administrative, diplomatic, security, intelligence, legal, regulatory, and economic agencies of the country for the management of international borders, the creation of infrastructure like roads/fencing and floodlighting of borders, border areas development program pilot project on Multi-purpose National Identity Card and Coastal Security.

The division deals with Centre-State relations, including working on the constitutional provisions governing such relations, the appointment of governors, creation of new states, nominations to Rajya Sabha/Lok Sabha, Inter-State boundary disputes, over-seeing the crime situation in States, imposition of President's Rule and work relating to Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System (CCTNS), etc.

Intra-ministry coordination work, parliamentary matters, public grievances (PGs), publication of annual report of the ministry, record retention schedule, annual action plan of the ministry, custody of classified and unclassified records of the ministry, internal work study, furnishing of various reports of scheduled castes/scheduled tribes and persons with disabilities, etc.

Responsible for the response, relief, and preparedness for natural calamities and human-made disasters (except drought and epidemics). The division is also responsible for legislation, policy, capacity building, prevention, mitigation, and long-term rehabilitation.

The division is responsible for formulating, operating, and controlling the budget of the ministry under the Integrated Finance Scheme.

The division deals with all matters relating to visa, immigration, citizenship, overseas citizenship of India, acceptance of foreign contribution and hospitality.

The division frames and implements the Freedom Fighters' Pension Scheme and the schemes for the rehabilitation of migrants from former West Pakistan/East Pakistan and the provision of relief to Sri Lankan and Tibetan refugees. It also handles work relating to Enemy Properties and residual work relating to Evacuee Properties.

The division deals with matters relating to the Protection of Human Rights Act and also matters relating to national integration and communal harmony.

Internal security and law and order, including anti-national and subversive activities of various groups/extremist organisations, policy and operational issues on terrorism, security clearances, monitoring of ISI activities and Home Secretary-level talks with Pakistan on terrorism and drug trafficking as a part of the composite dialogue process.

Recently launched cyber coordination center (CYCORD) https://cycord.gov.in meant for assisting LEAs in all the matters of cyber-crime, cyber-espionage and cyber-terrorism works under this division.

Division deals with arms and explosives; letters of request for mutual legal assistance in criminal matters; National Security Act, 1980 and representations thereunder; administration of Narcotics Control Bureau; providing central assistance to victims of terrorist, communal, and naxal violence; matters relating to breach of privilege of MPs, etc.

Legislative aspects of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and also the Commission of Inquiry Act. It also handles matters relating to state legislations, which require the assent of the President under the Constitution, political pension to erstwhile rulers before independence, and mercy petitions under Article 72 of the Constitution.

Countering of left-wing Naxalite-Maoist extremism in India.

The division deals with the internal security and law and order situation in the northeastern states, including matters relating to insurgency and talks with various extremist groups operating in that region.

The division functions as the cadre controlling authority in respect of Indian Police Service (IPS) and also deals with the award of Presidents' Police Medals for Meritorious/ Distinguished service and Gallantry, etc.

This division deals with the policy, personnel, operational (including deployment), and financial matters relating to all the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). It also deals with matters relating to the welfare of the serving and retired CAPF personnel and the deployments in UN peacekeeping missions.

The division handles all items of work relating to the modernisation of State Police Forces, provisioning/procurement of various items for the modernisation of Central Police Forces, police reforms, and police missions.

The division deals with matters relating to policy formulation in respect of internal security issues, international cooperation on counter-terrorism, international covenants, bilateral assistance treaties, and related items of work.

The division deals with all legislative and constitutional matters relating to Union territories, including National Capital Territory of Delhi. It also functions as the cadre controlling authority of the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), the Indian Forest Service (IFS/IFoS), and the Indian Police Service (IPS) as also Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service (DANICS)/ Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Police Service (DANIPS). Besides, it is responsible for overseeing the crime and law and order situation in UTs.

• Minister of Home Affairs (India)
• Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs
• Law enforcement in India
• Indian Police Foundation and Institute

• Amit Shah takes charge of Home Ministers of India 2019

• Official website
• Official website (in Hindi)
• Directory of Important Web Links of MHA
• Ministry of Home Affairs: Foreigners Division
• Official MHA Press Releases