Railway Ministers
Below is a list of the Union Government Ministers (and Ministers of State) of Railways over the years in independent India. Also included further below is the list of who presented the railway budget for each year.
Note: These lists may have some inaccuracies. Corrections or additions are most welcome.
Source and Acknowledgement: Many updates were provided by IRFCA member Sivaramakrishnan Nishanth who obtained the details using the RTI Act from the Railway Board.
See the FAQ for more historical information. Also see the list of trains introduced by railway ministers.
Railway Ministers of Independent India
| Name | Nomination | Constituency | State | Start of tenure | End of tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashraf Ali | 02.09.1946 | 14.08.1947 | Exact title is unclear for this person. | |||
| John Mathai | 15.08.1947 | 22.09.1948 | Not formally designated the Minister for Railways. Presented the first Railway Budget of Independent India | |||
| Narasimha Gopalswamy Ayyangar | Rajya Sabha | - | Tamil Nadu | 22.09.1948 | 13.05.1952 | Worked on consolidating the various railways into the zonal railways |
| Lal Bahadur Shastri | Rajya Sabha | - | Uttar Pradesh | 13.05.1952 | 07.12.1956 | Resigned on November 26, 1956 accepting moral responsibility for a train accident at Ariyalur, Tamil Nadu, on the night of November 23, 1956, and two earlier accidents. |
| Jagjivan Ram | Lok Sabha | Shahabad South | Bihar | 07.12.1956 | 10.04.1962 | |
| Swaran Singh Sardar | Lok Sabha | Jullundur | Punjab | 10.04.1962 | 21.09.1963 | |
| H.C. Dasappa | Lok Sabha | Bangalore | Karnataka | 21.09.1963 | 08.06.1964 | |
| Sadashiv Kanoji Patil | Lok Sabha | Bombay City South | Maharashtra | 09.06.1964 | 12.03.1967 | |
| Cheppudira Muthana Poonacha | Lok Sabha | Mangalore | Karnataka | 13.03.1967 | 14.02.1969 | |
| Dr. Ram Subhag Singh | Lok Sabha | Buxar | Bihar | 14.02.1969 | 04.11.1969 | |
| Panampilli Govinda Menon | Lok Sabha | Mukundapuram | Kerala | 04.11.1969 | 18.02.1970 | |
| Gulzarilal Nanda | Lok Sabha | Kaithal | Haryana | 18.02.1970 | 17.03.1971 | |
| Kengal Hanumanthaiya | Lok Sabha | Bangalore City | Karnataka | 18.03.1971 | 22.07.1972 | |
| Tonse Madhav Ananth Pai | Rajya Sabha | - | Karnataka | 23.07.1972 | 04.02.1973 | |
| Lalit Narayan Mishra | Lok Sabha | Darbhanga | Bihar | 05.02.1973 | 02.01.1975 | Was killed in a bomb explosion on the dais when he had gone to Samastipur on January 2, 1975 to inaugurate the Samastipur-Muzaffarpur broad-gauge line |
| Pandit Kamalapati Shastri Tripathi | Rajya Sabha | - | Uttar Pradesh | 11.02.1975 | 23.03.1977 | |
| Prof. Madhu Dandavate | Lok Sabha | Rajapur | Maharashtra | 26.03.1977 | 28.07.1979 | |
| Tonse Madhav Ananth Pai | Lok Sabha | Udupi | Karnataka | 30.07.1979 | 13.01.1980 | |
| Pandit Kamalapati Shastri Tripathi | Lok Sabha | Varanasi | Uttar Pradesh | 14.01.1980 | 12.11.1980 | |
| Kedar Panday | Lok Sabha | Bettiah | Bihar | 12.11.1980 | 14.01.1982 | |
| Prakash Chand Sethi | Lok Sabha | Indore | Madhya Pradesh | 15.01.1982 | 02.09.1982 | |
| A.B.A. Ghani Khan Choudhary | Lok Sabha | Malda | West Bengal | 02.09.1982 | 31.12.1984 | |
| Bansi Lal | Lok Sabha | Bhiwani | Haryana | 31.12.1984 | 04.06.1986 | |
| Shrimati Mohsina Kidwai | Lok Sabha | Meerut | Uttar Pradesh | 24.06.1986 | 21.10.1986 | |
| Madhav Rao Scindia | Lok Sabha | Gwalior | Madhya Pradesh | 22.10.1986 | 01.12.1989 | |
| George Fernandes | Lok Sabha | Muzaffarpur | Bihar | 05.12.1989 | 10.11.1990 | |
| Janeshwar Mishra | Lok Sabha | Allahabad | Uttar Pradesh | 21.11.1990 | 21.06.1991 | |
| C.K. Jaffer Sharief | Lok Sabha | Bangalore North | Karnataka | 21.06.1991 | 16.10.1995 | |
| Ram Vilas Paswan | Lok Sabha | Hajipur | Bihar | 01.06.1996 | 19.03.1998 | |
| Nitish Kumar | Lok Sabha | Barh | Bihar | 19.03.1998 | 05.08.1999 | |
| Ram Naik | Lok Sabha | Mumbai North | Maharashtra | 06.08.1999 | 12.10.1999 | |
| Mamata Banerjee | Lok Sabha | Calcutta South | West Bengal | 13.10.1999 | 15.03.2001 | |
| Nitish Kumar | Lok Sabha | Barh | Bihar | 20.03.2001 | 22.05.2004 | |
| Lalu Prasad Yadav | Lok Sabha | Chhapra | Bihar | 23.05.2004 | 25.05.2009 | |
| Mamata Banerjee | Lok Sabha | Kolkata South | West Bengal | 26.05.2009 | 19.05.2011 |
Ministers of State for Railways
| Name | Nomination | Constituency | State | Start of tenure | End of tenure | Railway Minister |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K. Santhanam | 01.10.1948 | 29.02.1952 | Narasimha Gopalswamy Ayyangar | |||
| Dr. Ram Subhag Singh | Lok Sabha | Bikramganj | Bihar | 13.06.1964 | 13.03.1967 | Sadashiv Kanoji Patil |
| Parimal Ghosh | Lok Sabha | Ghatal | West Bengal | 13.03.1967 | 17.10.1969 | C.M. Poonacha & Dr. Ram Subhag Singh |
| Mohammad Shafi Qureshi | Lok Sabha | Anantnag | Jammu & Kashmir | 10.10.1974 | 24.03.1977 | L.N. Mishra & Kamalapati Tripathi |
| Sheo Narain | Lok Sabha | Basti | Uttar Pradesh | 14.08.1977 | 28.07.1979 | Prof. Madhu Dantavate |
| C.K. Jaffer Sharief | Lok Sabha | Bangalore North | Karnataka | 14.01.1980 | 31.10.1984 | Tripathi, Panday, Sethi & Choudhary |
| Madhavrao Scindia | Lok Sabha | Gwalior | Madhya Pradesh | 31.12.1984 | 21.10.1986 | Bansi Lal & Mohsina Kidwai |
| Bhakta Charan Das | Lok Sabha | Kalahandi | Orissa | 21.11.1990 | 21.06.1991 | Janeshwar Mishra |
| Dr. Mallikarjun | Lok Sabha | Mahabubnagar | Andhra Pradesh | 21.06.1991 | 18.01.1993 | C.K. Jaffer Sharief |
| Kanu Charan Lenka | Rajya Sabha | - | Orissa | 19.01.1993 | 02.04.1994 | C.K. Jaffer Sharief |
| Dr. Mallikarjun | Lok Sabha | Mahabubnagar | Andhra Pradesh | 22.08.1995 | 16.09.1995 | C.K. Jaffer Sharief |
| Suresh Kalmadi | Rajya Sabha | - | Maharashtra | 16.09.1995 | 16.05.1996 | C.K. Jaffer Sharief |
| Satpal Maharaj | Lok Sabha | Garhwal | Uttar Pradesh | 06.07.1996 | 09.06.1997 | Ram Vilas Paswan |
| Ram Naik | Lok Sabha | Mumbai North | Maharashtra | 19.03.1998 | 05.08.1999 | Nitish Kumar |
| Bangaru Laxman | Rajya Sabha | - | Gujarat | 22.11.1999 | 31.08.2000 | Mamata Banerjee |
| Digvijay Singh | Lok Sabha | Banka | Bihar | 13.10.1999 | 22.07.2001 | Mamata Banerjee & Nitish Kumar |
| O. Rajagopal | Rajya Sabha | - | Madhya Pradesh | 01.09.2000 | 01.07.2002 | Mamata Banerjee & Nitish Kumar |
| Digvijay Singh | Lok Sabha | Banka | Bihar | 01.08.2001 | 01.07.2002 | Nitish Kumar |
| Bandaru Dattatreya | Lok Sabha | Secunderabad | Andhra Pradesh | 02.07.2002 | 08.09.2003 | Nitish Kumar |
| A.K. Moorthy | Lok Sabha | Chengalpattu | Tamilnadu | 02.07.2002 | 14.01.2004 | Nitish Kumar |
| Basanagouda R. Patil (Yatnal) | Lok Sabha | Bijapur | Karnataka | 09.09.2003 | 22.05.2004 | Nitish Kumar |
| Naranbhai J. Rathwa | Lok Sabha | Chhota Udaipur | Gujarat | 23.05.2004 | 25.05.2009 | Lalu Prasad Yadav |
| Dr. R. Velu | Lok Sabha | Arakkonam | Tamilnadu | 23.05.2004 | 28.03.2009 | Lalu Prasad Yadav |
| E. Ahamed | Lok Sabha | Malappuram | Kerala | 29.05.2009 | 19.01.2011 | Mamata Banerjee |
| K.H. Muniyappa | Lok Sabha | Kolar | Karnataka | 01.06.2009 | - | Mamata Banerjee |
| Bharatsinh Madhavsinh Solanki | Lok Sabha | Anand | Gujarat | 19.01.2011 | - | Mamata Banerjee |
| Mukul Roy | Rajya Sabha | - | West Bengal | 19.05.2011 | - |
Yearly List of Presenters of the Railway Budget of India
Material below provided by Rajendra Saxena.
| Fiscal Year | Budget Presenter | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1947-48 | Transport Member, Railway Board | |
| 1947-48 | Col. R. E. Emerson (Chief Commissioner, Railways) | |
| 1948-49 | Dr. John Mathai | |
| 1949-50 | N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar | |
| 1950-51 | N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar | |
| 1951-52 | N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar | |
| 1952-53 (interim) | N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar | |
| 1952-53 (final) | Lal Bahadur Shastri | |
| 1953-54 | Lal Bahadur Shastri | |
| 1954-55 | Lal Bahadur Shastri | |
| 1955-56 | Lal Bahadur Shastri | |
| 1956-57 | Lal Bahadur Shastri | |
| 1957-58 (interim) | Jagjivan Ram | |
| 1957-58 (final) | Jagjivan Ram | |
| 1958-59 | Jagjivan Ram | |
| 1959-60 | Jagjivan Ram | |
| 1960-61 | Jagjivan Ram | |
| 1961-62 | Jagjivan Ram | |
| 1962-63 | Jagjivan Ram | |
| 1962-63 (final) | Sardar Swaran Singh | |
| 1963-64 | Sardar Swaran Singh | |
| 1964-65 | H. C. Dasappa | |
| 1965-66 | S. K. Patil | |
| 1966-67 | S. K. Patil | |
| 1967-68 (interim) | C. M. Poonacha | |
| 1967-68 (final) | C. M. Poonacha | |
| 1968-69 | C. M. Poonacha | |
| 1969-70 | Dr. Ram Subhag Singh | |
| 1970-71 | Gulzari Lal Nanda | |
| 1971-72 (interim) | K. Hanumanthaiya | |
| 1971-72 (final) | K. Hanumanthaiya | |
| 1972-73 | K. Hanumanthaiya | |
| 1973-74 | Lalit Narayan Misra | |
| 1974-75 | Lalit Narayan Misra | |
| Aug-74 | Lalit Narayan Misra | |
| 1975-76 | Kamalapati Tripathi | |
| 1976-77 | Kamalapati Tripathi | |
| 1977-78 (interim) | Prof. Mathu Dandavate | |
| 1977-78 (final) | Prof. Mathu Dandavate | |
| 1978-79 | Prof. Madhu Dandavate | |
| 1979-80 | Prof. Madhu Dandavate | |
| 1980-81 (interim) | Kamalapati Tripathi | |
| 1980-81 (final) | Kamalapati Tripati | |
| 1981-82 | Kedar Pande | |
| 1982-83 | P. C. Sethi | |
| 1983-84 | A. B. A. Ghani Khan Choudhury | |
| 1984-85 | A. B. A. Ghani Khan Choudhury | |
| 1985-86 | Bansi Lal | |
| 1986-87 | Bansi Lal | |
| Nov-86 | Madhavrao Scindia | |
| 1987-88 | Madhavrao Scindia | |
| 1988-89 | Madhavrao Scindia | |
| 1989-90 | Madhavrao Scindia | |
| 1990-91 | George Fernandes | 14.03.1990 |
| 1991-92 (interim) | Janeshwar Mishra | 25.02.1991 |
| 1991-92 (final) | C. K. Jaffar Sharief | 16.07.1991 |
| 1992-93 | C. K. Jaffar Sharief | 25.02.1992 |
| 1993-94 | C. K. Jaffar Sharief | 24.02.1993 |
| 1994-95 | C. K. Jaffar Sharief | 24.02.1994 |
| 1995-96 | C. K. Jaffar Sharief | |
| 1996-97 (interim) | Suresh Kalmadi | 27.02.1996 |
| 1996-97 (final) | Ram Vilas Paswan | 16.07.1996 |
| 1997-98 | Ram Vilas Paswan | 26.02.1997 |
| 1998-99 (interim) | Nitish Kumar | 25.03.1998 |
| 1998-99 (final) | Nitish Kumar | 29.05.1998 |
| 1999-2000 | Nitish Kumar | 25.02.1999 |
| 2000-01 | Mamata Banerjee | 26.02.2000 |
| 2001-02 | Mamata Banerjee | 27.02.2001 |
| 2002-03 | Nitish Kumar | 26.02.2002 |
| 2003-04 | Nitish Kumar | 26.02.2003 |
| 2004-05 (interim) | Nitish Kumar | 30.01.2004 |
| 2004-05 (final) | Lalu Prasad Yadav | 06.07.2004 |
| 2005-06 | Lalu Prasad Yadav | 26.02.2005 |
| 2006-07 | Lalu Prasad Yadav | 24.02.2006 |
| 2007-08 | Lalu Prasad Yadav | 26.02.2007 |
| 2008-09 | Lalu Prasad Yadav | 26.02.2008 |
| 2009-10 (interim) | Lalu Prasad Yadav | 13.02.2009 |
| 2009-2010 (final) | Mamata Banerjee | 03.07.2009 |
| 2010-11 | Mamata Banerjee | 24.02.2010 |
| 2011-12 | Mamata Banerjee | 25.02.2011 |