Ministry of Public Health Engineering (Chhattisgarh)

The Public Health Engineering Department (Hindi: Lok Swasthya Yantriki Vibhag), abbreviated as PHED, is a vital technical department of the Government of Chhattisgarh. It is primarily responsible for the planning, implementation, and maintenance of rural and urban water supply schemes, sanitation facilities, and water quality monitoring across the state.

The department is currently led by the Minister of Public Health Engineering, Arun Sao, who is also a Deputy Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh.

Objectives and functions

The PHED plays a crucial role in improving public health by ensuring access to safe drinking water and effective waste management. Its key responsibilities include:

• Water Supply: Execution of piped water supply schemes and hand-pump installation in rural areas.
• Jal Jeevan Mission: Acting as the nodal agency for providing Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) to every rural household in the state.
• Water Quality: Operating and maintaining district and sub-division level laboratories for chemical and biological testing of water sources.
• Sanitation: Implementation of rural sanitation programs in coordination with Swachh Bharat Mission.

Organizational hierarchy

The department is administratively headed by a Secretary-rank Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer. The technical wing is led by the Engineer-in-Chief (E-in-C), supported by Chief Engineers at the zonal levels.

List of Ministers

No.	Portrait	Name	Term	Party	Ref
1		Ajit Jogi (as Chief Minister)	2000 – 2003	Indian National Congress
2	Kedar Nath Kashyap	2003 – 2013	Bharatiya Janata Party
3	Ram Sewak Paikra	2013 – 2018	Bharatiya Janata Party
4	Guru Rudra Kumar	2018 – 2023	Indian National Congress
5		Arun Sao	2023 – Present	Bharatiya Janata Party