New Delhi: The Centre has reorganised the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs by creating two separate departments under it, the Department of Capital Development and the Department of Urban Development, through an amendment to the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961. The changes have been notified through the Government of India (Allocation of Business) (386th Amendment) Rules, 2026, which came into effect immediately after their notification on July 22, 2026. 

Under the revised allocation of business, the newly created Department of Capital Development will exclusively oversee matters related to the National Capital Territory of Delhi and the National Capital Region. Its mandate includes Central government properties and estates, the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB), the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), government colonies, land allotment in Delhi, the Delhi Master Plan, NBCC (India) Ltd., Rajghat Samadhi Committee and other capital-region development functions. 

The Department of Urban Development will be responsible for the Centre’s broader urban development agenda across the country. Its responsibilities include urban planning, housing policy, climate adaptation, municipal governance (excluding Delhi’s civic bodies), water supply, sanitation, slum redevelopment, urban poverty alleviation, housing programmes and national urban missions such as AMRUT, Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), PM SVANidhi and Housing for All (Urban). It will also administer the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (RERA), besides overseeing organisations such as HUDCO and the National Institute of Urban Affairs. 

The notification also transfers Stationery and Printing for the Government of India, including official publications, to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting by inserting a new entry in the Allocation of Business Rules. 

The restructuring marks the first time the Centre has created a separate department dedicated to the planning and development of the national capital region within the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, signalling a distinct administrative focus on Delhi and the NCR while allowing the second department to concentrate on nationwide urban development initiatives

BI Bureau