The Government of India exercises its executive authority through several government ministries or departments of state. A ministry is composed of employed officials, known as civil servants, and is politically accountable through a minister. Most major ministries are headed by a Cabinet Minister, who sits in the Union Council of Ministers, and is typically supported by a team of junior ministers called the Ministers of State. A union minister is also known as a cabinet minister.
Some ministries have subdivisions called departments. For example, the Ministry of Communications has two departments - the Department of Telecommunications and the Department of Posts.
There are Union ministries and departments in India.
The following ministries once functioned, but have since become defunct, generally because of a merger with another ministry or division into new ministries.
These are independent departments working under the direct supervision of the Prime Minister's Office.