CABINET OF THE INTERIM GOVERNMENT
The Interim Government of India was formed in 2nd September 1946. It had the task of assisting the transition of British India to Independent India. It remained in place until the date 15th August, the day of India’s Independence.
The government of Clement Atlee dispatched the Cabinet Mission of 1946 to India to formulate proposals for the formation of a government that would lead to an Independent India.
The members of the Constituent Assembly were not elected directly, they were elected from each of the provincial legislative assemblies. In that election, the Congress had won 8 out of 11 provinces of British India and the Muslim League also won the seats allocated to the Muslim electorate.
The Viceroy’s Executive Council became the executive branch of the interim government. Originally headed by the Viceroy of India, it was transformed into a council of ministers, with the power of Prime Minister bestowed on the vice-president of the Council, a position held by the Congress leader Jawaharlal Nehru.
| Sl.No. | Office/Department | Name/Ministers |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Viceroy and Governor-General of India (President of the executive council) | The Viscount Wavell |
| 2. | Commander-in-Chief | Sir Claude Auchinleck |
| 3. | External Affairs and Commonwealth Relations (Vice-President of the executive council) | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 4. | Dept. of Food and Agriculture | Dr. Rajendra Prasad |
| 5. | Home Affairs Dept. of Information and Broadcasting | Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel |
| 6. | Dept. of Defence | Baldev Singh |
| 7. | Department of Railways and transport | Asaf Ali |
| 8. | Industries and Supplies | John Mathai |
| 9. | Education and Arts | C.Rajagoplachari |
| 10. | Department of Labour | Jagjivan Ram |
| 11. | Department of Finance | Liaquat Ali Khan |
| 12. | Department of Commerce | I.I. Chundrigar |
| 13. | Department of Law | Joginder Nath Mandal |
| 14. | Department of Post and Air | Abdur Rab Nishtar |
| 15. | Work, Mines and Power | C.H. Bhabha |
| 16. | Department of Health | Ghaznafar Ali Khan |