The Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961 is a set of statutory rules that defines the structure and responsibilities of the Union government's executive branch. It is a provision framed by the President of India under the power conferred by Article 77(3) of the Constitution. The Rules were created in 1961 to supersede all previous rules and orders on the subject, establishing a clear, systematic framework for the transaction of government business. The problem it solved was the need for an orderly and efficient distribution of the vast executive functions of the Union government.
The Rules work by allocating the business of the Government of India among various Ministries, Departments, Secretariats, and Offices, which are specified in the First Schedule. The core mechanism is Rule 3, which details the distribution of subjects among these departments in the Second Schedule. This allocation includes all attached and subordinate offices, as well as Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) concerned with the department's subjects. The President, on the advice of the Prime Minister, has the ultimate authority to allocate business and assign departments to the charge of a Minister.
These Rules are intrinsically connected to the Government of India (Transaction of Business) Rules, 1961, which govern the procedure for the disposal of the business allocated by the Allocation of Business Rules. Both sets of rules are framed under Article 77(3) of the Constitution. The Rules are constantly amended to reflect changes in government structure and policy. For instance, a recent amendment in July 2026 split the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) into two separate entities: the Department of Capital Development and the Department of Urban Development, demonstrating the Rules' role in administrative restructuring. Another amendment in November 2020 brought digital/online media and news content under the ambit of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.