Kartavya Bhavan Building: Home Affairs, External Affairs, Rural Development, MSME, Oil Ministry to move to new offices soon

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate Kartavya Bhavan in the national capital on Wednesday, August 6, with the new building set to house the offices of several key central government ministries and departments, including the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Rural Development, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, and the MSME Ministry.

Here are 10 important things to know about this new building:

• Kartavya Bhavan -- meaning 'House of Duty' -- is part of the government's ambitious Central Vista redevelopment project aimed at modernising the central administrative area in the national capital to enhance governance infrastructure and efficiency.
• Kartavya Bhawan is set to foster efficiency, innovation and collaboration. It will "exemplify modern governance infrastructure" and promote "eco-consciousness through zero-discharge waste management, in-house solid waste processing and extensive use of recycled construction material", said the PMO.
• The building spans around 1.5 lakh square meters of area, with two basements and seven levels (ground and six other floors), according to an official release.
• Currently, several key ministries function from decades-old buildings like Shastri Bhawan, Krishi Bhawan, Udyog Bhawan and Nirman Bhawan.

• What will be the key advantage of housing these departments together? The co-locating of ministries will enable the common central secretariat to improve inter-ministerial coordination, accelerate policy execution, and foster a responsive administrative ecosystem. The new facilities are also set to reduce repair- and maintenance-related costs, and in turn boost productivity and enhance overall service delivery.

• Which departments are being moved to Kartavya Bhavan? The new building will house offices of the following ministries and departments:

  • Home Affairs

  • External Affairs

  • Rural Development

  • MSME

  • DoPT

  • Petroleum and Natural Gas

  • Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA)

The building offers a slew of state-of-the-art features, including:

• IT-ready and secure workspaces

• ID card-based access controls

• Integrated electronic surveillance

• Double-glazed façades

• Rooftop solar

• Solar water heating

• Advanced heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, and rainwater harvesting

• Zero-discharge waste management

• In-house solid waste processing

• E-vehicle charging stations

The Kartavya building boasts 30 per cent lesser energy consumption than conventional buildings.

• Designers have placed a special focus on ensuring moderate temperature and noise levels inside the building.

• Rooftop solar panels installed in the building are capable of producing more than 5.34 lakh units of power annually.

PM Modi set to inaugurate Kartavya Bhavan