In a first, New Delhi and the National Capital Region will have a whole new dedicated central department with a separate union secretary for planned development and expansion of the area.The Centre has amended the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961, to create two new departments under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs headed by Manohar Lal Khattar. These are the Department of Capital Development and the Department of Urban Development. Both will have separate secretaries.At present, Urban Development is one ministry under one union secretary who oversees the Delhi division too.The changes, notified through the Government of India (Allocation of Business) (386th Amendment) Rules, 2026, take immediate effect and signal the government’s intent to accord dedicated attention to the Delhi-NCR region as a distinct urban segment demanding specific focus.A notification issued by the Cabinet Secretariat and accessed by The Tribune says the Department of Capital Development will handle matters relating to Central government properties and estates, Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) and National Buildings Construction Corporation.Government colonies, land allotment in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, Delhi Master Plan and other capital-region development functions will also be handled by the Department of Capital Development, which will look after Central Vista development too.The second newly created Department of Urban Development has been assigned responsibility for urban planning, housing policy, climate adaptation, urban water supply, sanitation and drainage, urban poverty alleviation programmes, slum redevelopment, municipal governance (excluding the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the New Delhi Municipal Council) and national urban missions such as AMRUT, Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), PM SVANidhi, Housing for All (Urban) and the Urban Challenge Fund. It will also oversee matters relating to HUDCO, the National Institute of Urban Affairs and the implementation of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (RERA).