<P> After a fall in the number of tourists entering India in 1961 from the preceding year, the government constituted a committee headed by Lakshmi Kant Jha, then secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs, under the Ministry of Finance, to find and examine the reasons . The committee attributed it to the Chinese aggression in the backdrop of the Sino - Indian War that year . Subsequently, as per the committee's recommendations, visa norms were liberlized, and the India Tourism Development Corporation was established in 1966 as a functional agency of the Department of Tourism . Further, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi convened a conference in October that year, the deliberations of which resulted in the creation of the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation . Karan Singh was appointed the first minister . </P> <P> Despite his skills as an orator and scholarly knowledge in the Sanskrit language, Singh failed to take tourism on a growing path during the initial years, owing mostly to failure in getting funds for the promotion and infrastructure of tourism . He subsequently persuaded Air India to get their officers involved in promotion of tourism to India . Region-wise targets for arrivals were given and Air India chiefs were given powers to oversee the working of overseas tourist offices of India;' Operation Europe' for the said region was later extended to other areas . Air India's failure to take this forward owing to losses in revenue "collision" of "egos of tourist officers" led to slump in growth of tourism . Prime minister Rajiv Gandhi later took charge of the ministry before quitting in favour of other ministers who, Pran Nath Seth in Successful Tourism wrote, "felt that the tourism portfolio was a demotion", as Civil Aviation was separated from the ministry . During this time, the Tourism was tied with Commerce Ministry, and later under V.P. Singh's ministry, in 1991 with Agriculture, when it was headed by Chaudhary Devi Lal . It was again tied with Civil Aviation that year, headed by Madhavrao Scindia, before the Deve Gowda government in 1996 attached it with the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs . Tourism was then combined with culture portfolio when it was headed by Jagmohan . The latter was separated in 2002 and an independent ministry for tourism has been active since . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th> No </Th> <Th> Name </Th> <Th> Portrait </Th> <Th_colspan="2"> Term of Office </Th> <Th_colspan="2"> Political party <P> (Alliance) </P> </Th> <Th> Prime Minister </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Karan Singh </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 13 March 1967 </Td> <Td> 9 November 1973 </Td> <Td> Indian National Congress </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Indira Gandhi </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Raj Bahadur </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 9 November 1973 </Td> <Td> 22 December 1976 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Kotha Raghuramaiah </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 23 December 1976 </Td> <Td> 24 March 1977 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Purushottam Kaushik </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 26 March 1977 </Td> <Td> 15 July 1979 </Td> <Td> Janata Party </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Morarji Desai </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 5 </Td> <Td> Mohammad Shafi Qureshi </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 30 July 1979 </Td> <Td> 14 January 1980 </Td> <Td> Janata Party (Secular) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Charan Singh </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 6 </Td> <Td> Janaki Ballabh Patnaik </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 14 January 1980 </Td> <Td> 8 June 1980 </Td> <Td> Indian National Congress </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Indira Gandhi </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 7 </Td> <Td> Anant Sharma </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 19 October 1980 </Td> <Td> 2 September 1982 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 8 </Td> <Td> Khurshed Alam Khan </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 2 September 1982 </Td> <Td> 31 December 1984 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 9 </Td> <Td> Rajiv Gandhi </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 31 December 1984 </Td> <Td> 25 September 1985 </Td> <Td> Rajiv Gandhi </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 10 </Td> <Td> H.K.L. Bhagat </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 25 September 1985 </Td> <Td> 12 May 1986 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 11 </Td> <Td> Mufti Mohammad Sayeed </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 12 May 1986 </Td> <Td> 14 July 1987 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 12 </Td> <Td> Mohsina Kidwai </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 14 February 1988 </Td> <Td> 25 June 1988 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 13 </Td> <Td> Arun Nehru </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 13 December 1989 </Td> <Td> 7 November 1990 </Td> <Td> Janata Dal (National Front) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> V.P. Singh </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 14 </Td> <Td> Chaudhary Devi Lal </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 21 November 1990 </Td> <Td> 26 June 1991 </Td> <Td> Samajwadi Janata Party (National Front) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Chandra Shekhar </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 15 </Td> <Td> Madhavrao Scindia </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 21 June 1991 </Td> <Td> 10 January 1993 </Td> <Td> Indian National Congress </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> P.V. Narasimha Rao </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 16 </Td> <Td> Ghulam Nabi Azad </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 17 January 1993 </Td> <Td> 15 May 1996 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 17 </Td> <Td> V. Dhananjay Kumar </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 16 May 1996 </Td> <Td> 1 June 1996 </Td> <Td> Bharatiya Janata Party (National Democratic Alliance) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Atal Bihari Vajpayee </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 18 </Td> <Td> C.M. Ibrahim </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 2 June 1996 </Td> <Td> 22 April 1997 </Td> <Td> Janata Dal (United Front) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> H.D. Deve Gowda </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 19 </Td> <Td> Srikant Kumar Jena </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 22 April 1997 </Td> <Td> 19 March 1998 </Td> <Td> I.K. Gujral </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 20 </Td> <Td> Madan Lal Khurana </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 19 March 1998 </Td> <Td> 29 January 1999 </Td> <Td> Bharatiya Janata Party (National Democratic Alliance) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Atal Bihari Vajpayee </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 21 </Td> <Td> Ananth Kumar </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 30 January 1999 </Td> <Td> 13 October 1999 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 22 </Td> <Td> Uma Bharati </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 13 October 1999 </Td> <Td> 2 February 2000 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> (21) </Td> <Td> Ananth Kumar </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 2 February 2000 </Td> <Td> 1 September 2001 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 23 </Td> <Td> Jagmohan </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 1 September 2001 </Td> <Td> 22 May 2004 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 24 </Td> <Td> Renuka Chowdhury </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 23 May 2004 </Td> <Td> 28 January 2006 </Td> <Td> Indian National Congress (United Progressive Alliance) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Manmohan Singh </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 25 </Td> <Td> Ambika Soni </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 29 January 2006 </Td> <Td> 22 May 2009 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 26 </Td> <Td> Selja Kumari </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 28 May 2009 </Td> <Td> 19 January 2011 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 27 </Td> <Td> Subodh Kant Sahay </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 19 January 2011 </Td> <Td> 28 October 2012 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 28 </Td> <Td> Chiranjeevi </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 28 October 2012 </Td> <Td> 15 May 2014 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 29 </Td> <Td> Shripad Naik </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 26 May 2014 </Td> <Td> 12 November 2014 </Td> <Td> Bharatiya Janata Party (National Democratic Alliance) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Narendra Modi </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 30 </Td> <Td> Mahesh Sharma </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 12 November 2015 </Td> <Td> 3 September 2017 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 31 </Td> <Td> Alphons Kannanthanam </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 3 September 2017 </Td> <Td> Incumbent </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th> No </Th> <Th> Name </Th> <Th> Portrait </Th> <Th_colspan="2"> Term of Office </Th> <Th_colspan="2"> Political party <P> (Alliance) </P> </Th> <Th> Prime Minister </Th> </Tr>

Who is the present union tourism and culture minister of india