✓Check the Full List of Prime Minister of India From 1947 to 2021 !

The Prime Minister of India is the chief executive of the Government of India. In India’s parliamentary system, the Constitution names the President as head of state de jure, but his or her de facto executive powers are vested in the prime minister and their Council of Ministers. Appointed and sworn-in by the President, the prime minister is usually the leader of the party or alliance that has a majority in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament of India.

Since 1947 India has had 14 prime ministers, 15 including Gulzarilal Nanda who twice acted in the role, of which 6 having at least one full term, ruling the country for about 60 years. The first was Jawaharlal Nehru of the Indian National Congress party, who was sworn in on 15 August 1947, when India gained independence from the British Raj.

Appointment of the Prime Minister

The constitution does not contain any specific procedure for the selection and appointment of the Prime Minister. Article 75 says that the President shall appoint the Prime Minister. However, this does not mean that the President is free to appoint anyone as the Prime Minister. In a parliamentary form of government, such as ours, the leader of the majority party in the Lok Sabha is appointed as the Prime Minister.

If no party has a clear majority then the President may use his discretion. However, he usually appoints the leader of the largest party or coalition as the Prime Minister and asks him to seek a vote of confidence in the House in one month.

For example, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy (former President) had appointed Charan Singh (coalition leader) as the Prime Minister in 1979.

In case a Prime Minister dies while in office and there is no obvious successor, the President can use his discretion. For example, Rajeev Gandhi was appointed as Prime Minister by the then President Zail Singh, after Indira Gandhi was assassinated. If however, on the death of the incumbent Prime Minister, the ruling party elects a new leader, the President has no choice but to appoint the said person as the Prime Minister.

In 1997, the Supreme Court held that a person who is not a member of either House of Parliament can be appointed as the Prime Minister for six months. Within this period he should become a member of either House of Parliament.

Oath

In the oath taking ceremony the Prime Minister swears in the name of God that he is committed to maintain the dignity of his office always and maintain integrity of the country in all circumstances.

The prime minister is required to make and subscribe in the presence of the President of India before entering office, the oath of office and secrecy, as per the Third Schedule of the Constitution of India.

Oath of office:

I, <name>, do swear in the name of God/solemnly affirm that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established, that I will uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India, that I will faithfully and conscientiously discharge my duties as Prime Minister for the Union and that I will do right to all manner of people in accordance with the Constitution and the law, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will.

Oath of secrecy:

I, <name>, do swear in the name of God/solemnly affirm that I will not directly or indirectly communicate or reveal to any person or persons any matter which shall be brought under my consideration or shall become known to me as Prime Minister for the Union except as may be required for the due discharge of my duties as such Minister.

Term

The full duration of Prime Minister of India is five years, which coincides with the time period of the Lok Sabha. The term can end shortly if he loses the absolute majority in Lok Sabha. That means he remains in power as long as he enjoys the confidence of the Lok Sabha. The Prime Minister can give his resignation letter to the President. There are NO term limits on the office of the Prime Minister and there is NO official retirement age.

Salary

According to Article 75 of the Constitution of India, the salary of the Prime Minister is decided by the Parliament of India and is revised from time to time. The monthly pay and allowances of the Prime Minister of India was ₹1,60,000.

Pay and Allowance of the Prime Minister on mentioned in the following table:

Pay	₹50,000
Sumptuary Allowance	₹3000
Daily Allowance	₹62,000
Constituency Allowance	₹45,000
Total	₹1,60,000

Pension:

The pension of antecedent Prime Ministers of India are provided with:

Rent-free accommodation for lifetime.
Medical facilities, 14 secretarial staff, office expenses against actual expenditure, six domestic executive-class flight tickets,
Unlimited free train travels for first five years
SPG ( Special Protection Group ) cover for one year
After five years: one personal assistant and peon, free air and train tickets and ₹6,000 for office expenses.

List of all Prime Ministers of India

List of all the Prime Ministers (1947-2021) is given below:

No.	Name	Party	Term of office
1	Jawaharlal Nehru	Indian National Congress	15 August 1947	15 April 1952	16 years, 286 days
15 April 1952	17 April 1957
17 April 1957	2 April 1962
2 April 1962	27 May 1964†
Acting	Gulzarilal Nanda	Indian National Congress	27 May 1964	9 June 1964	13 days
2	Lal Bahadur Shastri	Indian National Congress	9 June 1964	11 January 1966†	1 year, 216 days
Acting	Gulzarilal Nanda	Indian National Congress	11 January 1966	24 January 1966	13 days
3	Indira Gandhi	Indian National Congress	24 January 1966	4 March 1967	11 years, 59 days
Indian National Congress (R)	4 March 1967	15 March 1971
15 March 1971	24 March 1977
4	Morarji Ranchhodji Desai	Janata Party	24 March 1977	28 July 1979	2 years, 126 days
5	Chaudhary Charan Singh	Janata Party (Secular)	28 July 1979	14 January 1980	170 days
(3)	Indira Gandhi	Indian National Congress (I)	14 January 198	31 October 1984	4 years, 291 days
6	Rajiv Gandhi	Indian National Congress (I)	31 October 1984	31 December 1984	5 years, 32 days
31 December 1984	2 December 1989
7	Vishwanath Pratap Singh	Janata Dal(National Front)	2 December 1989	10 November 1990	343 days
8	Chandra Shekhar	Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya)with INC(I)	10 November 1990	21 June 1991	223 days
9	Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao	Indian National Congress (I)	21 June 1991	16 May 1996	4 years, 330 days
10	Atal Bihari Vajpayee	Bharatiya Janata Party	16 May 1996	1 June 1996	16 days
11	Haradanahalli Doddegowda Deve Gowda	Janata Dal(United Front)	1 June 1996	21 April 1997	324 days
12	Inder Kumar Gujral	Janata Dal(United Front)	21 April 1997	19 March 1998	332 days
(10)	Atal Bihari Vajpayee	Bharatiya Janata Party(NDA)	19 March 1998	10 October 1999	6 years, 64 days
10 October 1999	22 May 2004
13	Manmohan Singh	Indian National Congress(UPA)	22 May 2004	22 May 2009	10 years, 4 days
22 May 2009	26 May 2014
14	Narendra Damodardas Modi	Bharatiya Janata Party(NDA)	26 May 2014	30 May 2019	7 years, 7 days
30 May 2019	Incumbent

List by party

No.	Political party	Number of Prime ministers
1	INC/INC(I)/INC(R)	6+1 acting
2	BJP	2
3	JD	3
4	JP	1
5	SJP(R)	1
6	JP(S)	1

Let’s learn about each of our Prime Ministers in detail:

Jawaharlal Nehru

He was an Indian independence activist and, subsequently, the first Prime Minister of India, as well as a central figure in Indian politics both before and after independence. He emerged as an eminent leader of the Indian independence movement, serving India as Prime Minister from its establishment in 1947 as an independent nation, until his death in 1964. He was also known as Pandit Nehru.

Nehru implemented policies based on import substitution industrialization and advocated a mixed economy where the government controlled public sector would co-exist with the private sector. He believed that the establishment of basic and heavy industry was fundamental to the development and modernisation of the Indian economy. The government, therefore, directed investment primarily into key public sector industries—steel, iron, coal, and power—promoting their development with subsidies and protectionist policies.

The policy of non-alignment during the Cold War meant that Nehru received financial and technical support from both power blocs in building India’s industrial base from scratch.

Under Nehru’s leadership, the government attempted to develop India quickly by embarking on agrarian reform and rapid industrialisation. A successful land reform was introduced that abolished giant landholdings

Nehru was a passionate advocate of education for India’s children and youth, believing it essential for India’s future progress. His government oversaw the establishment of many institutions of higher learning, including the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, the Indian Institutes of Technology, the Indian Institutes of Management and the National Institutes of Technology. Nehru also outlined a commitment in his five-year plans to guarantee free and compulsory primary education to all of India’s children. For this purpose, Nehru oversaw the creation of mass village enrollment programs and the construction of thousands of schools. Nehru also launched initiatives such as the provision of free milk and meals to children to fight malnutrition. Adult education centers, vocational and technical schools were also organised for adults, especially in the rural areas.

Under Nehru, the Indian Parliament enacted many changes to Hindu law to criminalize caste discrimination and increase the legal rights and social freedoms of women. Nehru specifically wrote Article 44 of the Indian constitution under the Directive Principles of State Policy which states: “The State shall endeavor to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India.” The article has formed the basis of secularism in India. While Nehru exempted Muslim law from legislation and they remained unreformed, he did pass the Special Marriage Act in 1954. The idea behind this act was to give everyone in India the ability to marry outside the personal law under a civil marriage. The Special Marriage Act allowed Muslims to marry under it and thereby retain the protections, generally beneficial to Muslim women, that could not be found in the personal law. Under the act polygamy was illegal, and inheritance and succession would be governed by the Indian Succession Act, rather than the respective Muslim personal law.

After independence, Nehru wanted to maintain good relations with Britain and other British commonwealth countries and signed the London Declaration, under which India agreed that, when it becomes a republic in January 1950, it would join the Commonwealth of Nations and accept the British monarch as a “symbol of the free association of its independent member nations and as such the Head of the Commonwealth.”

He pioneered the policy of non-alignment and co-founded the Non-Aligned Movement of nations professing neutrality between the rival blocs of nations led by the US and the USSR. Nehru was a key organizer of the Bandung Conference of April 1955, which brought 29 newly independent nations together from Asia and Africa, and was designed to galvanize the nonalignment movement under Nehru’s leadership.

Nehru envisioned the development of nuclear weapons and established the Atomic Energy Commission of India in 1948. Indian nuclear policy was set by unwritten personal understanding between Nehru and Bhabha. He commissioned the first study of the effects of nuclear explosions on human health, and campaigned ceaselessly for the abolition of what he called “these frightful engines of destruction”.

In 1954, Nehru signed with China the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, known in India as the Panchsheel (from the Sanskrit words, panch: five, sheel: virtues), a set of principles to govern relations between the two states. Their first formal codification in treaty form was in an agreement between China and India in 1954 which recognized Chinese sovereignty over Tibet.After years of failed negotiations, Nehru authorised the Indian Army to invade Portuguese-controlled Goa in 1961, and then he formally annexed it to India.

Lal Bahadur Shastri

He was an Indian statesman who served as the second Prime Minister of India. Former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri was one of those great Indians who left an indelible impression on our collective life. Lal Bahadur Shastri’s contribution to our public life was unique in that they were made in the closest proximity to the life of the common man in India. Lal Bahadur Shastri was looked upon by Indians as one of their own, one who shared their ideals, hopes and aspirations. His achievements were looked upon not as the isolated achievements of an individual but of our society collectively.

Shastri continued Nehru’s socialist economic policies with central planning He promoted the White Revolution – a national campaign to increase the production and supply of milk – by supporting the Amul milk co-operative of Anand, Gujarat and creating the National Dairy Development Board.

During the 22-day war with Pakistan in 1965, On 19 October 1965, Shastri gave the seminal ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kishan’ (“Hail the soldier, Hail the farmer”) slogan at Urwa in Allahabad that became a national slogan. Underlining the need to boost India’s food production, Shastri also promoted the Green Revolution in India in 1965. This led to an increase in food grain production, especially in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. Major milestones in this undertaking were the development of high-yielding varieties of wheat, and rust resistant strains of wheat.

Though he was a socialist, Shastri stated that India cannot have a regimented type of economy. His government passed the National Agricultural Products Board Act and was responsible for setting up the Food Corporation of India under the Food Corporation’s Act 1964

Shastri continued Nehru’s policy of non-alignment but also built closer relations with the Soviet Union. In the aftermath of the Sino-Indian War of 1962 and the formation of military ties between China and Pakistan, Shastri’s government decided to expand the country’s defence budget.

In 1964, Shastri signed an accord with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike regarding the status of Indian Tamils in Sri Lanka, then called Ceylon.This agreement is also known as the Sirima-Shastri Pact or the Bandaranaike-Shastri Pact.

Under the terms of this agreement, 600,000 Indian Tamils were to be repatriated, while 375,000 were to be granted Sri Lankan citizenship. This settlement was to be done by 31 October 1981

Shastri’s greatest moment came when he led India in the 1965 Indo-Pak War.Laying claim to half the Kutch peninsula, the Pakistani army skirmishes with Indian forces in August 1965

During his tenure as Prime Minister, Shastri visited many countries including Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, England, Canada, Nepal, Egypt and Burma.

On 10 January 1966, Shastri and Ayub Khan signed the Tashkent Declaration (The Tashkent Declaration was a peace agreement between India and Pakistan signed on 10 January 1966 that resolved the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. Peace had been achieved on 23 September by the intervention of the external powers that pushed the two nations to cease fire, afraid the conflict could escalate and draw in other powers)

Shastri was known for his honesty and humility throughout his life. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, and a memorial “Vijay Ghat” was built for him in Delhi.

Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi

She was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was the first and, to date, only female Prime Minister of India. Indira Gandhi was the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India. She served as prime minister from January 1966 to March 1977 and again from January 1980 until her assassination in October 1984, making her the second longest-serving Indian prime minister after her father

At the beginning of her first term as prime minister, she was widely criticised by the media and the opposition as a “Goongi goodiya” (Hindi for a “dumb doll” or “puppet”) of the Congress party bosses who had orchestrated her election and then tried to constrain her. following the 1967 elections, Gandhi gradually began to move towards socialist policies.

Garibi Hatao (Eradicate Poverty) was the resonant theme for Gandhi’s 1971 political bid. The slogan was developed in response to the combined opposition alliance’s use of the two word manifesto—”Indira Hatao” (Remove Indira).The Garibi Hatao slogan and the proposed anti-poverty programs that came with it were designed to give Gandhi independent national support, based on the rural and urban poor. This would allow her to bypass the dominant rural castes both in and of state and local governments as well as the urban commercial class. For their part, the previously voiceless poor would at last gain both political worth and political weightGandhi’s biggest achievement came in December 1971 with India’s decisive victory over Pakistan in the Indo-Pakistani War that occurred in the last two weeks of the Bangladesh Liberation War, which led to the formation of independent Bangladesh.

On 12 June 1975, the Allahabad High Court declared Indira Gandhi’s election to the Lok Sabha in 1971 void on the grounds of electoral malpractice. The court ordered her stripped of her parliamentary seat and banned her from running for any office for six years. Gandhi rejected calls to resign and continued working.

By 1983, the Golden Temple complex had become a fort for many militants. After several futile negotiations, in June 1984, Gandhi ordered the Indian army to enter the Golden Temple to remove Bhindranwale and his supporters from the complex. The army used heavy artillery, including tanks, in the action code-named Operation Blue Star. The operation badly damaged or destroyed parts of the Temple complex, including the Akal Takht shrine and the Sikh library. It also led to the deaths of many Sikh fighters and innocent pilgrims. The number of casualties remains disputed with estimates ranging from many hundreds to many thousands.

In December 1971, Gandhi intervened directly in the conflict to liberate Bangladesh. India emerged victorious following the war with Pakistan to become the dominant power of South Asia.India had signed a treaty with the Soviet Union promising mutual assistance in the case of war. The relationship between India and the Soviet Union deepened during Gandhi’s rule. India maintained close ties with neighbouring Bangladesh following the Liberation War. One of the major developments in Southeast Asia during Gandhi’s premiership was the formation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1967.

India under Gandhi also hosted the 1983 Commonwealth Heads of Government summit in New Delhi. Gandhi used these meetings as a forum to put pressure on member countries to cut economic, sports, and cultural ties with Apartheid South Africa

Gandhi not only abandoned the short-lived liberalisation programme but also aggressively expanded the public sector with new licensing requirements and other restrictions for industry. She began a new course by launching the Fourth Five-Year Plan in 1969. The government targeted growth at 5.7% while stating as its goals, “growth with stability and progressive achievement of self-reliance.”

Gandhi inherited a weak economy when she became prime minister again in 1980. Gandhi proceeded to abrogate the Janata Party government’s Five-Year Plan in 1980 and launched the Sixth Five-Year Plan (1980–85). Her government targeted an average growth rate of 5.2% over the period of the plan.Measures to check inflation were also taken; by the early 1980s it was under control at an annual rate of about 5%.

After becoming prime minister, Gandhi expressed her intention of nationalising the banks to alleviate poverty in a paper titled, “Stray thoughts on Bank Nationalisation”.The paper received overwhelming public support.In 1969, Gandhi moved to nationalise fourteen major commercial banks. After this, public sector bank branch deposits increased by approximately 800 percent; advances took a huge jump by 11,000 percent.Nationalisation also resulted in significant growth in the geographic coverage of banks; the number of bank branches rose from 8,200 to over 62,000, most of which were opened in unbanked, rural areas. The nationalisation drive not only helped to increase household savings, but it also provided considerable investments in the informal sector, in small- and medium-sized enterprises, and in agriculture, and contributed significantly to regional development and to the expansion of India’s industrial and agricultural base. Having been re-elected in 1971 on a nationalisation platform, Gandhi proceeded to nationalise the coal, steel, copper, refining, cotton textiles, and insurance industries.Most of this was done to protect employment and the interests of organised labour.

In 1966, Gandhi accepted the demands of the Akalis to reorganise Punjab on linguistic lines. In 1972, Gandhi granted statehood to Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura, while the North-East Frontier Agency was declared a union territory and renamed Arunachal Pradesh. The transition to statehood for these territories was successfully overseen by her administration. The principle of equal pay for equal work for both men and women was enshrined in the Indian Constitution under the Gandhi administration. In 1967, Gandhi introduced a constitutional amendment that guaranteed the de facto use of both Hindi and English as official languages. Gandhi contributed to, and carried out further, the vision of Jawaharlal Nehru, former premier of India, to develop its nuclear program. Gandhi authorised the development of nuclear weapons in 1967, in response to Test No. 6 by the People’s Republic of China. Gandhi saw this test as Chinese nuclear intimidation and promoted Nehru’s views to establish India’s stability and security interests independent from those of the nuclear superpowers.

The main legacy of her rule was destroying internal party democracy in the Congress party. Her detractors accuse her of weakening State chief ministers and thereby weakening the federal structure, weakening the independence of the judiciary, and weakening her cabinet by vesting power in her secretariat and her sons.Gandhi is also associated with fostering a culture of nepotism in Indian politics and in India’s institutions.She is also almost singularly associated with the period of Emergency rule and the dark period in Indian Democracy that it entailed

In 2020, Gandhi was named by Time magazine among the world’s 100 powerful women who defined the last century

Gandhi’s main legacy was standing firm in the face of American pressure to defeat Pakistan and turn East Pakistan into independent Bangladesh. She was also responsible for India joining the group of countries with nuclear weapons. Despite India being officially part of the Non-Aligned Movement, she gave Indian foreign policy a tilt towards the Soviet bloc. In 1999, Gandhi was named “Woman of the Millennium” in an online poll organised by the BBC.In 2012, she was ranked number seven on Outlook India’s poll of the Greatest Indian.

In 2011, the Bangladesh Freedom Honour, Bangladesh’s highest civilian award, was posthumously conferred on Gandhi for her “outstanding contributions” to Bangladesh’s Liberation War.

Morarji Ranchhodji Desai

He was an Indian independence activist and served between 1977 and 1979 as the 4th Prime Minister of India and led the government formed by the Janata Party. He became the first non-congress Prime Minister of India. During his long career in politics, he held many important posts in government such as Chief Minister of Bombay State, Home Minister, Finance Minister and 2nd Deputy Prime Minister of India.

Desai restored normal relations with China, for the first time since the 1962 war. He also communicated with the military ruler of Pakistan, General Zia-ul-Haq and established friendly relations. Despite his pacifist leanings, he refused to sign the non-nuclear proliferation treaty despite the threat of stopping supply of uranium for power plants by the US Congress. Desai played a crucial role in the Indian nuclear program. Internationally, he reaffirmed India’s stand that it would not manufacture nuclear weapons and would refrain from conducting even peaceful nuclear explosions.In 1977, the Carter administration offered to sell heavy water and uranium to India for its nuclear reactors but required American on-site inspection of nuclear materials. Desai declined, seeing the American stance as contradictory, in light of its own nuclear arsenal.His government undid many amendments made to the constitution during emergency and made it more difficult for any future government to impose a national emergency

In 1979, Raj Narain and Charan Singh pulled out of the Janata Party, forcing Desai to resign from office and retire from politics.

Chaudhary Charan Singh

He served as the 5th Prime Minister of India between 28 July 1979 and 14 January 1980. Historians and people alike frequently refer to him as the ‘champion of India’s peasants

Charan Singh was sworn in as Prime Minister on 28 July 1979, with outside support from Indira Gandhi’s Congress (I) party and with Yeshwantrao Chavan of the Congress (Socialist) party as his Deputy Prime Minister. Just before he was to confirm his majority in the Lok Sabha, Indira Gandhi withdrew support to his government. He resigned on 20 August 1979, after just 23 days in office, becoming the only Prime Minister never to obtain the confidence of Parliament. Singh then advised President Neelam Sanjiva Reddy to dissolve the Lok Sabha. Janata Party leader Jagjivan Ram challenged that advice and sought time to cobble support, but the Lok Sabha was dissolved, and Charan Singh continued as caretaker Prime Minister until January 1980.

Rajiv Ratna Gandhi

He was an Indian politician who served as the 6th Prime Minister of India from 1984 to 1989. He took office after the 1984 assassination of his mother, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, to become the youngest Indian Prime Minister at the age of 40.

After his swearing-in as Prime Minister, Gandhi appointed his fourteen-member cabinet. He said he would monitor their performance and would “fire ministers who do not come to the mark”.From the Third Indira Gandhi ministry, he removed two powerful figures; Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Railway Minister A. B. A. Ghani Khan Choudhury.

Gandhi’s first action as Prime Minister was passing the anti-defection law in January 1985. According to this law, an elected Member of Parliament or legislative assembly could not join an opposition party until the next election. In 1986, the Parliament of India passed The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act 1986, which nullified the Supreme Court’s judgment in the Shah Bano case. The Act diluted the Supreme Court judgment and allowed maintenance payments to divorced women only during the period of Iddah, or until 90 days after the divorce, according to the provisions of Islamic law. This was in contrast to Section 125 of the Code.

He provided incentives to make private production profitable. Subsidies were given to corporate companies to increase industrial production, especially of durable goods. It was hoped this would increase economic growth and improve the quality of investment. Gandhi increased government support for science, technology and associated industries, and reduced import quotas, taxes and tariffs on technology-based industries, especially computers, airlines, defence and telecommunications. In 1986, he announced a National Policy on Education to modernise and expand higher education programs across India. In 1986, he founded the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya System, which is a Central government-based education institution that provides rural populations with free residential education from grades six to twelve.His efforts created MTNL in 1986, and his public call offices—better known as PCOs—helped develop the telephone network in rural areas.He introduced measures to significantly reduce the Licence Raj after 1990, allowing businesses and individuals to purchase capital, consumer goods and import without bureaucratic restrictions.

Gandhi signed the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord in July 1987. The accord “envisaged a devolution of power to the Tamil-majority areas”, dissolved the LTTE, and designated Tamil as an official language of Sri Lanka. On 30 July 1987, a day after Gandhi went to Sri Lanka and signed the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord, an honour guard named Vijitha Rohana hit him on his shoulder with his rifle; Gandhi’s quick reflexes saved him from injury. The guard was then dragged off by his security personnel.The guard said his intention was to kill Gandhi because of “the damage he had caused” to Sri Lanka.

Soon after assuming office, Gandhi released the leaders of the Akali Dal who had been imprisoned since 1984’s Operation Blue Star during Indira Gandhi’s prime ministership. He lifted the ban on All India Sikh Students Federation and filed an inquiry into the 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots. In May 1988, Gandhi launched Operation Black Thunder to clear the Golden Temple in Amritsar of arms and gunmen. Two groups called National Security Guard and Special Action Group were created; they surrounded the temple in a 10-day siege during which the extremists’ weapons were confiscated.

Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh were given the status of states that were earlier union territories by him.He also ended the Assam Movement, which was launched by Assamese people to protest against the alleged illegal migration of Bangladeshi Muslims and immigration of other Bengalis to their state, which had reduced the Assamese to a minority there. He signed the Assam Accord on 15 August 1985. According to the accord, foreigners who came to the state between 1951 and 1961 were given full citizenship but those who arrived there between 1961 and 1971 did not get right to vote for the next ten years

During Gandhi’s time in office, public sector telecom companies MTNL and VSNL were developed. Gandhi’s government also allowed the import of fully assembled motherboards, which led to the price of computers being reduced. According to some commentators, the seed for the information technology (IT) revolution was also planted during Rajiv Gandhi’s time.

In November 1991, Schweizer Illustrierte magazine published an article on black money held in secret accounts by Imelda Marcos and 14 other rulers of Third World countries. Citing McKinsey as a source, the article stated that Rajiv Gandhi held 2.5 billion Swiss francs in secret Indian accounts in Switzerland.

Vishwanath Pratap Singh

He is also known as V. P. Singh was an Indian politician who was the 7th Prime Minister of India from 1989 to 1990 and the 41st Raja Bahadur of Manda. He is India’s only prime minister to have been a former ruler.

In the year 1989, the government by Singh implemented the SC-ST Act of 1989 to prevent the atrocities against the members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.It was enacted when the provisions of the existing laws (such as the Protection of Civil Rights Act 1955 and Indian Penal Code) were found to be inadequate to check these crimes (defined as ‘atrocities’ in the Act).Recognising the continuing gross indignities and offences against Scheduled Castes and Tribes, the Parliament passed the ‘Scheduled Castes and Schedule Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989. The objectives of the Act clearly emphasised the intention of the government to deliver justice to these communities through proactive efforts to enable them to live in society with dignity and self-esteem and without fear or violence or suppression from the dominant castes. The practice of untouchability, in its overt and covert form was made a cognizable and non-compoundable offence, and strict punishment is provided for any such offence. The act was finally passed somehow with controversies.

Singh himself wished to move forward nationally on social justice-related issues, which would, in addition, consolidate the caste coalition that supported the Janata Dal in northern India, and accordingly decided to implement the recommendations of the Mandal Commission which suggested that a fixed quota of all jobs in the public sector be reserved for members of the historically disadvantaged called Other Backward Classes. Even after the passing of the reservations for the Other Backward Class, he was never accepted by them and his upper caste voters also who didn’t have trust in him.

Chandra Shekhar Singh

He was an Indian politician who served as the eighth Prime Minister of India, between 10 November 1990 and 21 June 1991. He headed a minority government of a breakaway faction of the Janata Dal with outside support from the Indian National Congress.He is the first Indian Prime Minister who has never held any Government office.His government was largely seen as a “puppet”and “lame duck” and the government was formed with the fewest party MPs in the Lok Sabha.His government could not pass the budgetat a crucial time when Moody had downgraded India and it further went down after the budget was not passed and global credit-rating agencies further downgraded India from investment grade making it impossible to even get short-term loans and in no position to give any commitment to reform, the World Bank and IMF stopped their assistance. Chandrasekhar had to authorise mortgaging of gold to avoid default of payment and this action came in for particular criticism as it was done secretly in the midst of the election. The Indian economic crisis, 1991, and the Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi plunged his government into crisis.

Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao

He was an Indian lawyer and politician who served as the 9th Prime Minister of India from 1991 to 1996. His ascendancy to the prime ministership was politically significant in that he was the second holder of this office from a non-Hindi-speaking region and the first from South India. He led an important administration, overseeing a major economic transformation and several home incidents affecting national security of India.Rao, who held the Industries portfolio, was personally responsible for the dismantling of the Licence Raj, as this came under the purview of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, reversing the socialist policies of Rajiv Gandhi’s government. He is often referred to as the “Father of Indian Economic Reforms”.

Rao’s government’s goals were reducing the fiscal deficit, privatisation of the public sector and increasing investment in infrastructure. Trade reforms and changes in the regulation of foreign direct investment were introduced to open India to foreign trade while stabilising external loans.

Major reforms in India’s capital markets led to an influx of foreign portfolio investment. The major economic policies adopted by Rao include:

Abolishing in 1992 the Controller of Capital Issues which decided the prices and number of shares that firms could issue.
Introducing the SEBI Act of 1992 and the Security Laws (Amendment) which gave SEBI the legal authority to register and regulate all security market intermediaries.
Opening up in 1992 of India’s equity markets to investment by foreign institutional investors and permitting Indian firms to raise capital on international markets by issuing Global Depository Receipts (GDRs).
Started in 1994 by the National Stock Exchange as a computer-based trading system which served as an instrument to leverage reforms of India’s other stock exchanges. The NSE emerged as India’s largest exchange by 1996.
Reducing tariffs from an average of 85 per cent to 25 per cent, and rolling back quantitative controls. (The rupee was made convertible on the trade account.)
Encouraging foreign direct investment by increasing the maximum limit on share of foreign capital in joint ventures from 40 to 51% with 100% foreign equity permitted in priority sectors.
Streamlining procedures for FDI approvals, and in at least 35 industries, automatically approving projects within the limits for foreign participation.

The impact of these reforms may be gauged from the fact that total foreign investment (including foreign direct investment, portfolio investment, and investment raised on international capital markets) in India grew from a minuscule US$132 million in 1991–92 to $5.3 billion in 1995–96. Rao began industrial policy reforms with the manufacturing sector. He slashed industrial licensing, leaving only 18 industries subject to licensing. Industrial regulation was rationalised.

Rao decided that India, which in 1991 was on the brink of bankruptcy, would benefit from liberalising its economy.

Rao also made diplomatic overtures to Western Europe, the United States, and China. Rao energised the national nuclear security and ballistic missiles programme, which ultimately resulted in the 1998 Pokhran nuclear tests.Rao launched the Look East foreign policy, which brought India closer to ASEAN. Rao initiated the Look East policy with three objectives in mind, namely, to renew political contacts with the ASEAN-member nation; to increase economic interaction with South East Asia in trade, investment, science and technology, tourism, etc.; and to forge strategic and defence links with several countries of SouthEast Asia.

Rao was the “true father” of India’s nuclear programme. Vajpayee said that, in May 1996, a few days after he had succeeded Rao as prime minister, “Rao told me that the bomb was ready. I only exploded it.”

Rao successfully decimated the Punjab separatist movement and neutralised Kashmir separatist movement. It is said that Rao was ‘solely responsible’ for the decision to hold elections in Punjab, no matter how narrow the electorate base would be.In dealing with Kashmir Rao’s government was highly restrained by the US government and its president Bill Clinton. Rao’s government introduced the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA),India’s first anti-terrorism legislation, and directed the Indian Army to eliminate the infiltrators from Pakistan.

In 1993, a strong earthquake in Latur, Maharashtra killed nearly 10,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands.Rao was applauded by many for using modern technology and resources to organise major relief operations to assuage the stricken people, and for schemes of economic reconstruction. Narasimha Rao was charged for facilitating his safe exit of the accused of 1995 Purulia arms drop case. Although it was never proved.

Haradanahalli Doddegowda Deve Gowda

He is an Indian politician and former Prime Minister of India from 1 June 1996 to 21 April 1997.He was previously the 14th Chief Minister of Karnataka from 1994 to 1996. He presently is a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha representing Karnataka.

He took over as Prime Minister of India on 1 June 1996 and continued until 21 April 1997. Also, he was the Chairman of the Steering Committee of the United Front, the policy making apex body of all the constituents of the ruling front. He is credited for providing financial closure and kickstarting development of the Delhi Metro Project.

Inder Kumar Gujral

He was an Indian diplomat, politician and freedom activist who served as the 12th Prime Minister of India from April 1997 to March 1998.

A controversial decision of his government was its recommendation of President’s rule in Uttar Pradesh in 1997. The Gujral Doctrine is a set of five principles to guide the conduct of foreign relations with India’s immediate neighbours, notably Pakistan, as spelt out by Gujral. The doctrine was later termed as such by journalist Bhabani Sen Gupta in his article, India in the Twenty First Century in International Affairs. These principles are, as he set out at Chatham House in September 1996 . He wrote in his autobiography of the doctrine: “The logic behind the Gujral Doctrine was that since we had to face two hostile neighbours in the north and the west, we had to be at ‘total peace’ with all other immediate neighbours in order to contain Pakistan’s and China’s influence in the region.”

Manmohan Singh

He is an Indian economist, academic, and politician who served as the 13th prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. The first Sikh in office, Singh was also the first prime minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to be re-elected after completing a full five-year term.

Economic policy:

In 1991, Singh, as Finance Minister, abolished the Licence Raj, a source of slow economic growth and corruption in the Indian economy for decades. He liberalised the Indian economy, allowing it to speed up development dramatically. During his term as Prime Minister, Singh continued to encourage growth in the Indian market, enjoying widespread success in these matters. Singh, along with the former Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram, presided over a period where the Indian economy grew with an 8–9% economic growth rate. In 2007, India achieved its highest GDP growth rate of 9% and became the second fastest growing major economy in the world. Singh’s ministry enacted a National Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in 2005.

Singh’s government continued the Golden Quadrilateral and the highway modernisation program that was initiated by Vajpayee’s government. Singh also worked on reforming the banking and financial sectors, as well as public sector companies. In 2005, Singh’s government introduced the value added tax, replacing sales tax. In 2007 and early 2008, the global problem of inflation impacted India.

Healthcare and education:

In 2005, Prime Minister Singh and his government’s health ministry started the National Rural Health Mission (NHRM), which mobilised half a million community health workers. On 2 July 2009, Singh ministry introduced The Right to Education Act (RTE) act. Eight IIT’s were opened in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Orissa, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. The Singh government also continued the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan programme. The programme includes the introduction and improvement of mid-day meals and the opening of schools all over India, especially in rural areas, to fight illiteracy.

Security and Home Affairs:

Singh’s government strengthened anti-terror laws with amendments to Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). National Investigation Agency (NIA) was also created soon after the Nov 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, as need for a central agency to combat terrorism was realised. Also, Unique Identification Authority of India was established in February 2009, an agency responsible for implementing the envisioned Multipurpose National Identity Card with the objective of increasing national security and facilitating e-governance.

Singh’s administration initiated a massive reconstruction effort in Kashmir to stabilise the region but after some period of success, insurgent infiltration and terrorism in Kashmir has increased since 2009.However, the Singh administration was successful in reducing terrorism in Northeast India.

Legislations:

The important National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and the Right to Information Act were passed by the Parliament in 2005 during his tenure. New cash benefits were also introduced for widows, pregnant women, and landless persons. The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 was passed on 29 August 2013 in the Lok Sabha (lower house of the Indian parliament) and on 4 September 2013 in Rajya Sabha (upper house of the Indian parliament). The bill received the assent of the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee on 27 September 2013.The Act came into force from 1 January 2014. Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act was enacted on 4 August 2009, which describes the modalities of the importance of free and compulsory education for children between 6 and 14 in India under Article 21A of the Indian Constitution. India became one of 135 countries to make education a fundamental right of every child when the act came into force on 1 April 2010.

Foreign policy:

He continued the pragmatic foreign policy. Singh continued the peace process with Pakistan . Exchange of high-level visits by top leaders from both countries have highlighted his tenure. Efforts have been made during Singh’s tenure to end the border dispute with the People’s Republic of China.

Singh’s government worked towards stronger ties with the United States. In March 2006, George W. Bush visited India during which the declaration over the nuclear agreement was made, giving India access to American nuclear fuel and technology while India will have to allow IAEA inspection of its civil nuclear reactors. After more than two years for more negotiations, followed by approval from the IAEA, Nuclear Suppliers Group and the US Congress, India and the US signed the agreement on 10 October 2008 with Pranab Mukherjee representing India.^[57] Singh had the first official state visit to the White House during the administration of US President Barack Obama. Singh’s government has also been especially keen on expanding ties with Israel.

He won many awards from 1952 to 2014.

Narendra Damodardas Modi

He is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current prime minister of India since 2014. He was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the member of Parliament for Varanasi. Modi is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its National Democratic Alliance (NDA). He is also a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist volunteer organisation. He is the first prime minister born after India’s independence, the second non-Congress one to win two consecutive terms after Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the first from outside the Congress to win both terms with a majority in the Lok Sabha.

Economic policy:

The economic policies of Modi’s government focused on privatisation and liberalisation of the economy, based on a neoliberal framework. Modi liberalised India’s foreign direct investment policies, allowing more foreign investment in several industries, including in defence and the railways. In September 2014, Modi introduced the Make in India initiative to encourage foreign companies to manufacture products in India, with the goal of turning the country into a global manufacturing hub. Modi’s government put in place the Goods and Services Tax, the biggest tax reform in the country since independence. It subsumed around 17 different taxes and became effective from 1 July 2017. In his first cabinet decision, Modi set up a team to investigate black money.^] On 9 November 2016, the government demonetised ₹500 and ₹1000 banknotes, with the stated intention of curbing corruption, black money, the use of counterfeit currency, and terrorism.The move led to severe cash shortages, a steep decline in the Indian stock indices BSE SENSEX and NIFTY 50, and sparked widespread protests throughout the country.

Governance and other initiatives:

Modi’s first year as prime minister saw significant centralisation of power relative to previous administrations.His efforts at centralisation have been linked to an increase in the number of senior administration officials resigning their positions. In December 2014 Modi abolished the Planning Commission, replacing it with the National Institution for Transforming India, or NITI Aayog.The Modi government launched investigations by the Intelligence Bureau against numerous civil society organisations and foreign non-governmental organisations in the first year of the administration. The investigations, on the grounds that these organisations were slowing economic growth, was criticised as a witch-hunt. Modi repealed 1,200 obsolete laws in first three years as prime minister; a total of 1,301 such laws had been repealed by previous governments over a span of 64 years. He started a monthly radio programme titled “Mann Ki Baat” on 3 October 2014. Modi also launched the Digital India programme, with the goal of ensuring that government services are available electronically, building infrastructure to provide high-speed Internet access to rural areas, boosting manufacturing of electronic goods in the country, and promoting digital literacy. Modi launched Ujjwala scheme to provide free LPG connection to rural households. The scheme led to an increase in LPG consumption by 56% in 2019 as compared to 2014. In 2019, a law was passed to provide 10% reservation to Economically weaker sections.

Environmental policy:

In naming his cabinet, Modi renamed the “Ministry of Environment and Forests” the “Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change.” In the first budget of the government, the money allotted to this ministry was reduced by more than 50%. The new ministry also removed or diluted a number of laws related to environmental protection. During his premiership various government initiatives were taken to protect endangered wildlife species like tigers, elephants and dolphins. Modi in November 2015 launched the International Solar Alliance in India–Africa Forum Summit for better solar power utilization. Modi also relaxed or abolished a number of other environmental regulations, particularly those related to industrial activity.

Defence policy:

India’s nominal military spending increased steadily under Modi. The military budget declined over Modi’s tenure both as a fraction of GDP and when adjusted for inflation. The Modi administration negotiated a peace agreement with the largest faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCM), which was announced in August 2015. Modi promised to be “tough on Pakistan” during his election campaign, and repeatedly stated that Pakistan was an exporter of terrorism. In February 2019 India carried out airstrikes in Pakistan against a supposed terrorist camp. Further military skirmishes followed, including cross-border shelling and the loss of an Indian aircraft. Following his victory in 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he focused more on Defence policies of India, especially against China and Pakistan

Foreign policy:

Foreign policy played a relatively small role in Modi’s election campaign, and did not feature prominently in the BJP’s election manifesto. Modi invited all the other leaders of SAARC countries to his swearing in ceremony as prime minister.He was the first Indian prime minister to do so. Modi continued Manmohan Singh’s policy of “multi-alignment.” The Modi administration tried to attract foreign investment in the Indian economy from several sources, especially in East Asia, with the use of slogans such as “Make in India” and “Digital India”. The foreign relations of India with the USA also mended after Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister. Modi’s administration gave renewed attention to India’s “Look East Policy”, instituted in 1991. The policy was renamed the “Act East Policy”, and involved directing Indian foreign policy towards East Asia and Southeast Asia.

Health and sanitation:

In his first year as prime minister, Modi reduced the amount of money spent by the central government on healthcare.The Modi government launched New Health Policy (NHP) in January 2015. The policy did not increase the government’s spending on healthcare, instead emphasising the role of private healthcare organisations.

Modi emphasised his government’s efforts at sanitation as a means of ensuring good health.On 2 October 2014, Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Mission (“Clean India”) campaign. The stated goals of the campaign included eliminating open defecation and manual scavenging within five years. As part of the programme, the Indian government began constructing millions of toilets in rural areas and encouraging people to use them.The government also announced plans to build new sewage treatment plants.The administration plans to construct 60 million toilets by 2019.On 5 August 2020, Modi visited Ayodhya after the Supreme Court in 2019 ordered a contested land in Ayodhya to be handed over to a trust to build the Hindu temple and ordered the government to give alternate 5 acre land to Sunni Waqf Board for the purpose of building a mosque.

Powers and functions of the Prime Minister

The Prime Minister of India is the head of the government and country. He is appointed by the President of India after the political party wins a general election and nominates a candidate for the post. The leader of that political party is hence appointed as the Prime Minister of India.

Powers and Functions of the Prime Minister:

The powers and functions of the Prime Minister can be understood under four subheadings:

– Relating to the Council of Ministers

– Relating to the President

– Relating to the Parliament and

– Other powers and functions

I. Relating to the Council of Ministers:

The Prime Minister enjoys the following powers as head of the Union council of ministers:

1. Recommendation of ministers : He recommends persons who can be appointed as ministers by the president. The President can appoint only those persons as ministers who are recommended by the Prime Minister.

2. Portfolio allocation : He allocates and changes various portfolios among the ministers.

3. Dismissal of minister : He can ask a minister to resign or advise the President to dismiss him in case of difference of opinion.

4. He presides over the meeting of the council of ministers and influences its decisions.

5. He guides, directs, controls, and coordinates the activities of all the ministers.

6. Resignation of the PM equals the collapse of CoM : He can bring about the collapse of the council of ministers by resigning from office. Since the Prime Minister stands at the head of the council of ministers, the other ministers cannot function when the Prime Minister resigns or dies. In other words, the resignation or death of an incumbent Prime Minister automatically dissolves the council of ministers and thereby generates a vacuum. The resignation or death of any other minister, on the other hand, merely creates a vacancy which the Prime Minister may or may not like to fill.

II. Relating to the President:

The Prime Minister enjoys the following powers in relation to the President:

1. Link between President and CoM : He is the principal channel of communication between the President and the council of ministers. It is the duty of the prime minister:

(a) to communicate to the President all decisions of the council of ministers relating to the administration of the affairs of the Union and proposals for legislation;

(b) to provide information relating to the administration of the affairs of the Union and proposals for legislation if the President asks for; and

(c) to submit to the council of ministers any such matter for consideration on which a decision has been taken by a minister without discussion with the council, If the President asks.

2. Advises important appointments : He advises the president with regard to the appointment of important officials like attorney general of India, Comptroller and Auditor General of India, chairman and members of the UPSC, election commissioners, chairman and members of the finance commission and so on.

III. Relating to the Parliament:

The Prime Minister is the leader of the Lower House (Lok Sabha). In this capacity, he enjoys the following powers:

1. He advises the President with regard to summoning and proroguing of the sessions of the Parliament.

2. He can recommend dissolution of the Lok Sabha to the President at any time.

3. He announces government policies on the floor of the House.

IV. Other Powers & Functions:

In addition to the above-mentioned three major roles, the Prime Minister has various other roles. These are:

1. He is the chairman of the cabinet, NITI Ayog (earlier called planning commission), National Integration Council, InterState Council, National Water Resources Council and some other bodies.

2. He plays a significant role in shaping the foreign policy of the country.

3. He is the chief spokesman of the Union government.

4. He is the crisis manager-in-chief at the political level during emergencies.

5. As a leader of the nation, he meets various sections of people in different states and receives memoranda from them regarding their problems, and so on.

6. He is the leader of the party in power.

7. He is the political head of the services.

Thus, the Prime Minister plays a very significant and highly crucial role in the Westminster model of government India follows. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar stated, ‘If any functionary under our constitution is to be compared with the US president, he is the Prime Minister and not the president of the Union’.

Relationship with the President

The following are the Powers of the Prime Minister in relation to the President of India:

1. The PM acts as the main communication channel in between the council of ministers and the President of India.

2. It is based on his sheer advice that the President appoints the Attorney General of India, CAG, Chairman of various commissions etc.

3. He gives advice to the President concerning the proroguing, summoning and dissolving of Parliament sessions.

There are a few articles in the Indian Constitution that deal with the relationship both the Prime Minister and the President share with each other. The articles are:

Article 74
Article 75
Article 78

Articles	Relationship between Prime Minister and the President
74	Mentions how the Prime Minister and President are both connected with the council of ministers. The Council with the PM as head advises the President on various issues.
75	Mentions three things:The President appoints the PM and other ministers are appointed by the President on the advice of the PM.Ministers hold their office during the pleasure of the President.The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha.
78	The PM communicates all decisions made by the council of members to the President. President can also refer issues for the consideration of the council of members.

Prime Minister of India – Check PMO’s Salary, Term & Oath

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