Ministry of Defence to be named as 'Department of War'

In a significant move, the Peace envoy is preparing to rename the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to the Department of War, Zee Business reported. Sources indicate that an executive order is expected to be signed later tonight. 

The Ministry of Defence provides the policy framework and resources to the armed forces to discharge their responsibilities in relation to the security of the country. The Defence Minister is the head of the Ministry of Defence. Rajnath Singh is the current Union Defence Minister of India, and Rajesh Kumar Singh is the Defence Secretary at present. Rajnath Singh succeeded the then Defence Minister of India, Nirmala Sitharaman, in 2019.

History of the Ministry of Defence

The Defence Ministry of India has seen significant changes over the years since the British Raj. In 1776, a Military department was created under the East India Company's government at Calcutta and was responsible for "examining and recording all orders relating to the military issued by the various departments of the East India Company's Government. The Military Department initially functioned as a branch of the Public Department and maintained lists of military personnel."

The Military Department then underwent several structural changes and was finally established as the Defence Department in January 1938. Finally, under a cabinet minister, the Defence Department became the Ministry of Defence in August 1947. Before the partition of the Indian subcontinent, the MoD system worked as a unified defence system. However, after the partition of the subcontinent, the Ministry of Defence was split up for both India and Pakistan.

The renaming of MoD to the Department of War is significant as the ministry has overseen major war conflicts, including Indo-Pak wars, Sino-Indian war, the Surgical strike, and the Air strike.