New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated Kartavya Bhavan-3 at Kartavya Path in the national capital. Kartavya Bhavan-3 is the first among the 10 upcoming Common Central Secretariat buildings and is a part of the broader transformation of the Central Vista, officials said. The project is aimed at bringing ministries and government departments under one roof for efficiency.

Kartavya Bhavan-3 will house the Home Affairs, External Affairs, Rural Development, MSME, DoPT, Petroleum & Natural Gas ministries, and the Principal Scientific Adviser’s office, the officials said. There are key ministries which are currently functioning from ageing buildings such as Shastri Bhawan, Krishi Bhawan, Udyog Bhawan, and Nirman Bhawan, which were built between the 1950s and 1970s. They are now “structurally outdated and inefficient", the government said. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has plans to construct 10 buildings under the Centre’s ambitious Central Vista redevelopment project.

Two buildings under construction, Buildings 2 and 3, are expected to be completed by next month. Construction of CCS 10 is set to finish by April next year, while the CCS 6 and 7 buildings will be ready by October 2026.

On Tuesday, Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that offices running from the four bhavans will move to four new locations on Kasturba Gandhi Marg, Minto Road, and Netaji Palace temporarily for two years, by the time construction is underway. Some buildings are proposed to be retained. These include new buildings like the National Museum, National Archives, Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan (Ministry of External Affairs), and Dr Ambedkar Auditorium. Vanijya Bhawan will also be kept as part of the plan. In addition to the Common Central Secretariat, the Centre 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.