With the Central Vista Redevelopment Project steadily reshaping the heart of New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate its latest addition -- the 'Kartavya Bhawan' on August 6 at 6 p.m.
Designed to house the Union Home Ministry, the Department of Personnel & Training, and several other key government departments, Kartavya Bhawan is a major component of the ₹20,000 crore Central Vista master plan, which seeks to modernise the national capital’s power corridor.
The Central Vista Redevelopment Project aims to transform the central administrative district of New Delhi, stretching from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate. It already features a newly-constructed Parliament building, the three-kilometre-long revamped Kartavya Path (formerly Rajpath), and the ongoing construction of a unified Central Secretariat that will consolidate government ministries currently scattered across the capital.
The redevelopment was first approved by the Union Cabinet in September 2019, with a stated objective of providing better infrastructure, greater efficiency, and improved working conditions for government employees. The project, led by the Central Public Works Department and designed by architect Bimal Patel, has drawn both admiration for its ambition and criticism for its scale and cost.
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Kartavya Bhawan will serve as a modern nerve centre for critical ministries, replacing ageing British-era structures that have long outlived their functional capacity. The Home Ministry, which currently operates from the North Block, will shift to the new premises once fully operational.
According to officials, the new building has been equipped with energy-efficient features, modern office infrastructure, and enhanced security systems. It is also designed to reduce commute times between ministries and ensure better inter-departmental coordination.
The name ‘Kartavya Bhawan’ (Duty Building) reflects the government's recent emphasis on citizen-centric governance and accountability. The rechristening of the erstwhile Rajpath to Kartavya Path in 2022 was also part of this thematic shift.
While the inauguration marks another milestone in the ongoing redevelopment, critics of the project have consistently raised questions over the scale of expenditure involved. The government, however, maintains that the revamp is a long-overdue investment in infrastructure that will endure for decades.
The inauguration will also serve as a symbolic assertion of the government’s commitment to administrative reforms and infrastructural modernisation—one that echoes the vision of a ‘New India’.
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