PM Modi inaugurates Kartavya Bhawan: How the Central Vista project redefines India's administrative core

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the state-of-the-art building – Kartavya Bhawan 3 – which will house several key ministries, including the Ministries of Home Affairs and External Affairs. This is the first of 10 buildings being built as part of the Central Vista project, which has already seen the addition of the new Parliament Building, the Vice President's House, and the renovated India Gate area.

These architectural edifices are Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s addition to New Delhi’s skyline – his contribution to Lutyens' Delhi, the national capital, once dominated by colonial and Nehruvian buildings. Once the ministries move from the British-era North and South Blocks, these would be converted into the new National Museum.

The Modi government is billing the Central Vista Redevelopment Project as not just an infrastructure overhaul, but as a reimagining of the nation's power centre.

For decades, India’s administrative core was defined by buildings either inherited from colonial rulers or constructed in the early post-Independence Nehruvian phase. Structures like Shastri Bhawan, Krishi Bhawan, and Udyog Bhawan, built between the 1950s and '70s, were functional but fragmented. Even the existing National Museum was the first building to be constructed during the Nehruvian era.

Central secretariat

Kartavya Bhawan 3, inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi, is part of the Common Central Secretariat (CCS) buildings, which will house 51 ministries in 10 buildings, aimed at enhancing coordination by combining scattered offices and reducing high rentals. Modular design, digital infrastructure, and energy efficiency are at the core.

According to government timelines: CCS 1 and 2 are nearing completion on the former IGNCA site. CCS 10 is coming up at the erstwhile Raksha Bhawan. CCS 6 and 7 are being built on the old Vice President's Residence and Vigyan Bhawan Annexe sites. These CCS 6, 7, and 8 will house the Ministry of Defence, DRDO, and military services for better coordination and security. These CCS buildings have been rechristened as Kartavya Bhawans.

Replying to a Parliament question in the ongoing session, the government said CCS 1, 2, and 3 will be completed by September 2025; CCS 10 by April 2026; and CCS 6 and 7 by October 2026.

According to the plan, all CCS buildings will be connected by a 3.1km underground automated people mover (APM) loop—an automated transport system to allow officials to move from one complex to another. There will be shuttle services at ground level, while seamless integration with Udyog Bhawan and Central Secretariat Metro stations will also be done. The government argues that ₹1,000 crore per annum will be saved by vacating the rented offices and will also enhance security.

Executive enclave

The Central Vista Project also includes the Executive Enclave—a new complex for the Prime Minister’s Office, Cabinet Secretariat, and National Security Council, all located behind South Block.

Cultural capital

When the National Museum’s holdings are moved to the North and South Block complex, the existing building will give way to further expansion projects. The new museum will be called 'Yuge Yugeen Bharat National Museum'. The area between the North and South Blocks will be called 'Plaza', which will host installations and performances.

The Kartavya Buildings have come up at the former Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts campus. The IGNCA, a premier arts body, was moved to a refurbished Janpath Hotel. However, the IGNCA will soon rise in Jamnagar House with modern cultural, archival, and exhibition facilities.

For the National Archives, a new state-of-the-art archival facility will be built alongside the historic Lutyens-designed building, ensuring world-class preservation and public engagement.

According to the elaborate plan, a ‘New India Garden’ will also be created, that will extend from Purana Qila to the Yamuna. This upcoming 25-acre park with AI-powered exhibits and cultural pavilions will symbolise ridge-to-river connectivity and ecological harmony.

The entire project, which began during the COVID-19 pandemic, had led to questions from opposition parties, but the government went ahead with it. The result is visible now. From stone cladding to wooden panels, from tiles to tapestries, the entire Central Vista redevelopment is powered by Indian materials and Indian labour—a statement of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

The Central Vista Project is one of the country’s most ambitious redevelopment schemes since Independence, reshaping the heart of Lutyens’ Delhi.

India