The first Interim National Government was announced on

The correct answer is 25th August 1946.

Key PointsFirst Interim Government (1946)

• The first Interim National Government was announced on 25th August 1946.
• On 2nd September 1946, the Interim Government of India was formed to oversee the transition of the country from a British colony to an independent republic.
• It lasted till 15th August 1947 when India became independent
• The Indian National Congress laid the foundation by declaring its participation in the formation of the Constituent Assembly.
• In the Interim Government, the Viceroy’s Executive Council was equivalent to the position of the Council of Ministers which acted as the executive.
• Members of the Interim Government
  • The Cabinet of the Interim Government of India was composed of the following members:
  • President of the Executive Council (Viceroy and Governor-General of India): Viscount Wavell (till February 1947); Lord Mountbatten (from February 1947)
  • Commander-in-Chief: Sir Claude Auchinleck
  • Vice President, Also in charge of External Affairs and Commonwealth Relations: Jawaharlal Nehru (INC)
  • Home Affairs, Information and Broadcasting: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (INC)
  • Agriculture and Food: Rajendra Prasad (INC)
  • Commerce: Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar (ML)
  • Defence: Baldev Singh (INC)
  • Finance: Liaquat Ali Khan (ML)
  • Education and Arts: C Rajagopalachari (INC)
  • Health: Ghazanfar Ali Khan (ML)
  • Labour: Jagjivan Ram (INC)
  • Law: Jogendra Nath Mandal (ML)
  • Railways and Communications, Post and Air: Abdur Rab Nishtar (ML)
  • Works, Mines and Power: C H Bhabha (INC)
• The Indian National Congress laid the foundation by declaring its participation in the formation of the Constituent Assembly.
• The newly formed government of Clement Attlee dispatched the 1946 Cabinet Mission to India to formulate proposals for the formation of a government that would lead to an independent India.