Home   »   List of Finance Ministers of India...   »   List of Finance Ministers of India...

List of Finance Ministers of India 1946 to 2024

Finance Ministers of India

Finance Ministers of India: The Finance Minister of India is in charge of the Ministry of Finance under the Government of India. The Ministry of Finance is one the senior-most offices in the Union Cabinet and the Finance Minister of India is the head of the ministry.

The key duties of the Finance Ministers of India include managing the government’s fiscal policies and being responsible for formulating and presenting the annual Union Budget to Parliament. The inaugural Finance Minister of India, R. K. Shanmukham Chetty, was responsible for delivering India’s first budget.

First Finance Minister of India

R.K. Shanmukham Chetty was India’s inaugural Finance Minister, serving in Jawaharlal Nehru’s cabinet from 1947 to 1949. His primary responsibility entailed crafting the nation’s first budget and steering its economic policies. As the pioneer in this role, Chetty played a pivotal part in laying the groundwork for India’s fiscal management and economic strategy during its early years of independence.

Current Finance Minister of India 

Nirmala Sitharaman has been serving as the Finance Minister of India since her appointment on May 31, 2019, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration. She presented her inaugural Union Budget on July 5, 2019. Under her leadership, the Ministry of Finance has incorporated the Department of Public Enterprises, reflecting the government’s initiative towards privatization and enhanced fiscal management of government-owned corporations.

List of Finance Ministers of India

Finance Minister Term of Office (Start) Term of Office (End) Prime Minister
Liaquat Ali Khan 29 Oct 1946 14 Aug 1947 Jawaharlal Nehru
R. K. Shanmukham Chetty 15 Aug 1947 17 Aug 1948 Jawaharlal Nehru
John Mathai 22 Sep 1948 26 Jan 1950
26 Jan 1950 06 May 1950
06 May 1950 01-Jun 1950
C. D. Deshmukh 01 Jun 1950 13 May 1952
13 May 1952 01 Aug 1956
Jawaharlal Nehru 01 Aug 56 30 Aug 1956
T. T. Krishnamachari 30 Aug 1956 17 Apr 1957
17 Apr 1957 14 Feb 1958
Jawaharlal Nehru 14 Feb 1958 22 Mar 1958
Morarji Desai 22 Mar 1958 10 Apr 1962
10 Apr 1962 31 Aug 1963
T. T. Krishnamachari 31 Aug 1963 31 Dec 1965 Jawaharlal Nehru
Lal Bahadur Shastri
Sachindra Chaudhuri 01 Jan 1966 11 Jan 1966 Lal Bahadur Shastri
11 Jan 1966 24 Jan 1966 Indira Gandhi
24 Jan 1966 13 Mar 1967
Morarji Desai 13 Mar 1967 16 Jul 1969 Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi 16 Jul 1969 27 Jun 1970
Yashwantrao B. Chavan 27 Jun 1970 18 Mar 1971
18 Mar 1971 10 Oct 1974
Chidambaram Subramaniam 10 Oct 1974 24 Mar 1977
Haribhai M. Patel 26 Mar 1977 24 Jan 1979 Morarji Desai
Charan Singh 24 Jan 1979 16 Jul 1979
Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna 28 Jul 1979 19 Oct 1979 Charan Singh
R. Venkataraman 14 Jan 1980 15 Jan 1982 Indira Gandhi
Pranab Mukherjee 15 Jan 1982 31 Oct 1984
31 Oct 1984 31 Dec 1984
V. P. Singh 31 Dec 1984 14 Jan 1985 Rajiv Gandhi
14 Jan 1985 30 Mar 1985
30 Mar 1985 25 Sep 1985
25 Sep 1985 24 Jan 1987
Rajiv Gandhi 24 Jan 1987 25 Jul 1987
N. D. Tiwari 25 Jul 1987 25 Jun 1988
Shankarrao B. Chavan 25 Jun 1988 02 Dec 1989
Madhu Dandavate 05 Dec 1989 10 Nov 1990 V. P. Singh
Yashwant Sinha 21 Nov 1990 21 Jun 1991 Chandra Shekhar
Manmohan Singh 21 Jun 1991 16 May 1996 P. V. Narasimha Rao
Jaswant Singh 16 May 1996 01 Jun 1996 Atal Bihari Vajpayee
P. Chidambaram 01 Jun 1996 21 Apr 1997 H. D. Deve Gowda
I.K. Gujral 21 Apr 1997 01 May 1997 I. K. Gujral
P. Chidambaram 01 May 1997 19 Mar 1998
Yashwant Sinha 19 Mar 1998 13 Oct 1999 Atal Bihari Vajpayee
13 Oct 1999 01 Jul 2002
Jaswant Singh 01 Jul 2002 22 May 2004
P. Chidambaram 23 May 2004 30 Nov 2008 Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh 30 Nov 2008 24 Jan 2009
Pranab Mukherjee 24 Jan 2009 22 May 2009
23 May 2009 26 Jun 2012
Manmohan Singh 26 Jun 2012 31 Jul 2012
P. Chidambaram 31 Jul 2012 26 May 2014
Arun Jaitley 26 May 2014 30 May 2019 Narendra Modi
Nirmala Sitharaman 31 May 2019 Incumbent Narendra Modi

Functions of  Finance Minister

Here are the functions of finance minister of India:

  • Formulating annual budgets and economic policies.
  • Managing public finances and expenditures.
  • Overseeing fiscal policies and taxation reforms.
  • Monitoring financial stability and economic growth.
  • Representing India in international financial institutions and negotiations.
  • Directing financial institutions and regulatory bodies.
  • Addressing issues related to banking, insurance, and capital markets.
  • Facilitating foreign investments and trade policies.
  • Presenting the Union Budget in Parliament and defending financial decisions.
Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh Released Theme for National Science Day 2023_80.1
List of Finance Ministers of India 1946 to 2024_5.1