Railway · Police
Who was the first Home Minister of India?
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option C — Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Detailed Solution
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (1875-1950) was the first Home Minister of independent India, as well as the first Deputy Prime Minister. He held these posts from 15 August 1947 until his death on 15 December 1950. He also held the Ministry of States and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
His greatest achievement as Home Minister:
At independence, there were about 562 princely states in India, ruled by kings and nawabs under British paramountcy. They were free to join India or Pakistan or remain independent.
Patel, with his secretary V. P. Menon, persuaded almost all of them to sign the "Instrument of Accession" and join India, using diplomacy and, where needed, firmness.
He used police action (Operation Polo, September 1948) to integrate Hyderabad, and handled the cases of Junagadh (through a plebiscite in 1948) and others.
For this, he is called the "Iron Man of India" and the "Bismarck of India".
Other contributions:
He is called the "Father of the All India Services" (IAS and IPS). He called the civil services the "steel frame" of India.
He was the chairman of the Constituent Assembly's committees on Fundamental Rights, Minorities, and Tribal and Excluded Areas.
He got the title "Sardar" from the women of Bardoli, after leading the Bardoli Satyagraha (1928) against an increase in land revenue.
He presided over the Karachi session of the Congress (1931), which passed the resolution on Fundamental Rights.
Honours:
- He was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1991.
- His birthday, 31 October, is celebrated as "Rashtriya Ekta Diwas" (National Unity Day) since 2014.
- The "Statue of Unity", at 182 metres the tallest statue in the world, was unveiled in his honour on 31 October 2018 at Kevadia (Ekta Nagar), Gujarat, facing the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Govind Ballabh Pant was Home Minister from 1955 to 1961.
- ✗Lal Bahadur Shastri was Home Minister from 1961 to 1963.
- ✗Gulzarilal Nanda was Home Minister and twice acting Prime Minister.
Quick tip
Remember: First Home Minister and Deputy PM = Sardar Patel ("Iron Man", integrated 562 princely states with V. P. Menon); National Unity Day = 31 October; Statue of Unity = 182 m (2018).
💬 Discussions on this question
Ask a doubt ›Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.
Ask a doubtMore Firsts in India & World Questions
View all ›More General Knowledge Questions
- Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
- Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
- Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
- Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
- Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms
Firsts in India & World — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Firsts in India & World, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the first persons and events in India and the world: the first Indian to win a Nobel Prize, the first woman to hold major offices, the first to climb Everest or reach space, and India's first institutions, newspapers, railways and satellites. It also covers the largest, longest, highest and smallest records in India and the world. These are pure memory questions, so revise them as short lists by theme: first women, first in sports, first in science and space, and first in governance. Be careful with the exact wording, such as 'first Indian' versus 'first person of Indian origin', or 'first woman President' versus 'first woman Prime Minister', since options are often designed to exploit this. Practise the firsts in India and the world questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.