Administration and History of “MINISTRY OF DEFENCE”

ADMINISTRATION:

The Government of India is responsible for ensuring the defence of our country. That is why the Ministry of Defence is formed by the Government soon after the Independence of our country in August, 1947. The President of India, Mr. Ram Nath Kovind is the incumbent supreme command of the armed forces of India. Cabinet is being given responsibility for national defence which is discharged through the Ministry of Defence. Defence Secretary functions as the Head of the Department of defence and is additionally responsible for coordinating the activities of four departments which are presently under the control of Ministry of Defence, whereas Defence Minister is the head of the Ministry of Defence. The incumbent Defence Secretary is Sanjay Mitra who is appointed by the appointments committee of the cabinet and the incumbent Defence Minister is Sri Rajnath Singh.

The major role of this ministry is to obtain policy directions to the government on all defence and security related matters and communicate them for implementation to the Services Headquarters, Inter Services organisations, Production Establishments and Research and Development organisations. Another role of the ministry includes effective implementation of government’s policies and execution of approved programmes within the allocated resources.

The Departments which are under the control of Ministry of Defence are:

1. The Department of Defence
2. The Department of Defence Production
3. The Department of Defence Research and Development
4. The Department of Ex-Servicemen welfare and financial division.

Department of Defence: This Department is responsible for the defence budget, establishment matters, defence policy, matters relating to Parliament defence cooperation with foreign countries and coordination of all defence related activities. This department consists of Integrated defence staff, three services and various inter-service organisations.

Department of Defence Production: This department is headed by a secretary. This department deals with the matters pertaining to defence production, indigenisation of imported stores, equipment and spaces, planning and control of departmental production units of the Ordnance Factory Board and Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs). 

Department of Defence Research: This department is headed by a secretary. The functions of this department are to advise the government on scientific aspects of military equipment and logistics and formulation of research, design and development plans for equipment required by the services.

Department of Ex-servicemen welfare: This department is headed by a secretary and the functions of this department includes dealing with all resettlement, welfare and pensionary matters of ex-servicemen.

HISTORY:

The history of the Defence Ministry starts way back in the eighteenth century with the introduction of Military Department by East India Company’s Supreme Government at kolkata. This department then underwent many changes in different time periods and finally became the Ministry of Defence in twentieth century after India’s Independence. The supreme authority during the introduction of the Military department was Governor General-in-Council who was subjected to the control of the crown which was generally exercised by the Secretary of State for India. The members of the council were Military member and Commander-in-chief who took care of administrative & financial matters and operational matters respectively.

The chronology of the changes which occurred in the Military department are as given below:

1. MILITARY DEPARTMENT: This department was established by the East India Company’s Supreme Government at Kolkata in the year 1776. The main functions of this department were sifting and recording orders relating to the Army issued by various departments of the Government of East India company.
2. CHARTER ACT, 1833: Secretariat of the Government of East India company was re-organised into four departments, including a Military department, each headed by a Secretary to the Government.
3. INDIAN ARMY: Presidency Armies of Bengal, Bombay and Madras got unified into single Indian Army in the year 1895. Indian Army got four different commands at that point of time. They were Punjab Command (including North-West Frontier), Bengal Command, Madras Command (including Burma), Bombay Command (including Sind, Quetta and Aden).
4. ARMY DEPARTMENT AND MILITARY SUPPLY DEPARTMENT: Military department got abolished in March 1906 and was replaced by two separate departments, the Army department and the Military Supply department.
5. ABOLITION OF MILITARY DEPARTMENT: In April 1909, the Army department has taken over the functions of Military department by abolishing it.
6. DEFENCE DEPARTMENT: Army department was re-designated as Defence department in January 1938.
7. MINISTRY OF DEFENCE: Department of Defence is changed to Ministry of Defence in August 1947. Ministry of Defence was setup under a cabinet minister after Independence keeping in view of the responsibility for national defence. Each service of the ministry was placed under its own Commander-in-chief.
8. RENAMING OF COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF: Commander-in-chief was renamed in the year 1955 as Chief of the Army staff, Chief of the Naval staff and Chief of the Air staff.
9. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE PRODUCTION: This department was setup in the year 1962 for research, development and production of defence.
10. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE SUPPLIES: Department of Defence supplies was created in the year 1965 for planning and execution of schemes for import substitution of defence requirements.
11. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE PRODUCTION AND SUPPLIES: The Department of Defence Production and Department of Defence Supplies merged to form the Department of Defence Production and Supplies.
12. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE PRODUCTION: The Department of Defence Production and Supplies became Department of Defence Production in the year 2004.
13. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT: This department was created in the year 1980.
14. DEPARTMENT OF EX-SERVICEMEN: This department was created in the year 2004.

Thus, the Ministry of Defence is the oldest ministry which has its legacy from eighteenth century East India Company’s Military Department. The Ministry of Defence is playing a crucial role in nation’s defence and also in providing policy framework to the armed forces to discharge their responsibilities in the context of the defence of the country.

© 2019 D SAI PAVAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED