PMO to shift to Executive Enclave next month

New Delhi: After decades at South Block, the Prime Minister’s Office will soon have a new address. Government sources confirmed the PMO is expected to move into the Executive Enclave, a modern complex built under the Central Vista project, next month.

The new enclave, only a short walk from the Prime Minister’s residence, will bring together the PMO, Cabinet Secretariat and National Security Council Secretariat. It also includes a state-of-the-art conferencing hub.

Officials say the move was necessitated by limited space and outdated facilities in colonial-era buildings. “The older offices lacked essential features such as proper lighting and ventilation. The new structures are aligned with the needs of a modern administrative set-up,” one official noted.

Earlier this month, the Prime Minister inaugurated Kartavya Bhavan-3, which now houses the ministries of Home Affairs and Personnel. At the ceremony, he recalled the challenges faced by ministries over the years. “It is difficult to imagine that the Ministry of Home Affairs functioned for nearly 100 years from a single building with insufficient infrastructure,” he remarked.

The PMO in its new home may also be renamed, with reports suggesting a title that reflects the idea of service. Soon after beginning his third term, the Prime Minister said, “The PMO should be people’s PMO. It cannot be Modi’s PMO.”

Meanwhile, North Block and South Block — the nerve centres of India’s administration for over eight decades — will take on a new life as Yuge Yugeen Bharat Sangrahalaya. Planned as a public museum, it will trace India’s cultural heritage. A partnership with France Museums Development has been announced for the project, described by the government as “a celebration of timeless and eternal India.”