Shastri Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan in Delhi to Be Vacated for New Kartavya Bhawan Blocks

Key facts

• The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) has directed that Shastri Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan in Lutyens' Delhi be vacated by the end of September 2026 to make way for Kartavya Bhawans 4 and 5 under the Central Vista redevelopment project.
• According to a CPWD communication dated September 16, the construction tender has been awarded and the premises must be handed over to the executing agency by September-end.
• Shastri Bhawan, a seven-storeyed building named after former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, housed ministries including education, petroleum and natural gas, and coal, while Krishi Bhawan primarily housed the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare and the Ministry of Rural Development.
• Both buildings were constructed between 1956 and 1968, and several ministries have already shifted to newly inaugurated Kartavya Bhawans over the past few months.
• The Central Vista plan envisages 10 Kartavya Bhawans under the Common Central Secretariat to consolidate ministries in modern integrated complexes.
• North Block and South Block offices have also been shifted out, and those buildings are proposed to be converted into the Yuge Yugeen Bharat National Museum.