On February 13, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the ‘Seva Teerth’, a state-of-the-art government complex that will host the Prime Minister’s Office, the Cabinet Secretariat, and the National Security Council Secretariat. The launch also included the opening of Kartavya Bhavan 1 and 2, marking a major overhaul in India’s administrative infrastructure and reinforcing the government’s focus on modern, efficient, and citizen-centric governance.
The Prime Minister’s Office has now been relocated from South Block to the Seva Teerth complex on Dara Shikoh Road. Modi described this move as a key step toward modernizing India’s governance architecture. The Seva Teerth plaque bears the name in Devanagari script along with the motto ‘Nagrik Devo Bhava’. Significantly, February 13 also coincides with the historic inauguration of New Delhi as India’s capital in 1931, adding symbolic value to the event.
Since taking office in 2014, the Modi government has actively worked to replace colonial-era symbols with new, citizen-focused nomenclature. Initiatives include renaming the Central Secretariat as Kartavya Bhavan, Rajpath as Kartavya Path, Race Course Road as Lok Kalyan Marg, and rebranding Raj Bhavans and Raj Niwas as Lok Bhavan and Lok Niwas respectively. The Prime Minister’s Office described the inauguration as a transformative milestone reflecting the commitment to modern, accessible, and efficient governance.
The Seva Teerth complex spans 226,000 square feet and was built at an approximate cost of 1,189 million dollars. It features three main buildings: Seva Teerth-1 for the PMO, Seva Teerth-2 for the Cabinet Secretariat, and Seva Teerth-3 for the National Security Advisor and National Security Council Secretariat. Kartavya Bhavan-1 and 2 accommodate offices for critical ministries, including Finance, Defence, Health and Family Welfare, Education, Culture, Law and Justice, Agriculture, Corporate Affairs, and Tribal Affairs. Previously scattered across multiple locations, these departments will now benefit from improved coordination, operational efficiency, and reduced maintenance costs.
Both Seva Teerth and Kartavya Bhavan are equipped with modern facilities such as high-speed internet, digital archives, paperless systems, advanced conference rooms, smart access controls, comprehensive surveillance, and emergency response infrastructure. Environmentally, the buildings follow 4-star GRIHA standards with energy-efficient systems, water conservation measures, and effective waste management.
The relocation of the PMO marks the end of South Block’s 80-year legacy, where the first Cabinet meeting was held under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on August 15, 1947. South Block is now set to become a public museum, while a new “Epoch Yugin Museum” is under construction at North Block, further blending heritage with modern governance.
