PMO leaves South Block after 78 years as PM Modi shifts office to 'Sewa Teerth'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will move the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) out of South Block on February 13, marking the first change in its address since Independence and bringing an end to nearly eight decades of governance from the iconic colonial-era complex on Raisina Hill. The shift is being seen as one of the most symbolic milestones of the Central Vista redevelopment project, aimed at creating a modern, consolidated and citizen-centric administrative ecosystem in the heart of New Delhi.

The Prime Minister will chair the final Cabinet meeting in South Block before ministers and senior officials relocate to the newly constructed complex named ‘Sewa Teerth’, located less than a kilometre away.

A historic farewell to South Block

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Built in 1931 alongside North Block, South Block has served as the nerve centre of India’s executive administration since the early years of the Republic. Officials recall that the first Cabinet meeting under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was held here, cementing the building’s place in independent India’s political history.

The PMO itself traces its roots to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat established in 1947. It gained statutory status in 1964 under Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and gradually expanded in authority during the tenure of Indira Gandhi. In 1977, during the Morarji Desai government, it was officially renamed the Prime Minister’s Office.

With this relocation, an era of governance from Raisina Hill’s historic blocks is coming to a close.

Where the PMO is shifting now

The PMO will begin functioning from Sewa Teerth-1, one of three major buildings under Executive Enclave-I of the Central Vista redevelopment project, situated beside Vayu Bhawan.

The newly developed enclave will also house several key institutions:

• Sewa Teerth-2: Cabinet Secretariat, already shifted from Rashtrapati Bhavan
• Sewa Teerth-3: National Security Adviser’s office, moving from Sardar Patel Bhawan
• National Security Council Secretariat
• A dedicated conference hall for high-level meetings
• India House, a new venue for hosting global delegations

The enclave was earlier referred to as the Executive Enclave, but has now been renamed to reflect a service-oriented governance vision.

Kartavya Bhavan to house key ministries

Alongside the PMO shift, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also inaugurate Kartavya Bhavan-1 and 2, which will accommodate several major ministries currently spread across ageing buildings in the Central Vista area.

These include:

• Ministry of Finance
• Ministry of Defence
• Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
• Ministry of Education
• Ministry of Law and Justice
• Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
• Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
• Ministry of Tribal Affairs

Officials say the shift is meant to solve a long-standing problem - many key ministries have been working out of old colonial-era buildings that are short on space and not built for modern administration.

Officials say the move is mainly about space. South Block was never built for the scale of today’s government, and departments have been working out of cramped offices spread across central Delhi for years.

The new Central Vista buildings are meant to bring key offices closer together and give the administration a more modern setup.

What happens to North and South Block now?

Once the PMO shifts out, North and South Block will stop being government office buildings.

Instead, the two landmark structures are set to be turned into a new museum complex - the ‘Yuga Yugin Bharat Sangrahalaya’ - where the government plans to showcase India’s cultural and historical journey.

With both blocks being vacated, the government has announced plans to convert North Block and South Block into a massive national museum complex named the ‘Yuga Yugin Bharat Sangrahalaya’.

An agreement has reportedly been signed between the National Museum and the France Museum Development to shape the institution, which will showcase India’s cultural heritage and its journey from ancient civilisation to modern nationhood. PM Modi has repeatedly framed the redevelopment as part of a broader transition away from colonial-era governance structures.

After beginning his third consecutive term, PM Modi said, “PMO should be the PMO of the people, it is not Modi’s PMO.”

The naming of ‘Sewa Teerth’ is also being linked to the government’s emphasis on service and public duty, similar to earlier renamings such as Rajpath becoming Kartavya Path and the Prime Minister’s residence being renamed Lok Kalyan Marg.