The Defence Secretary (

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during ...

: ''Rakṣā Saciva'') is the administrative head of the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...

. This post is held by a senior

Indian Administrative Service The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the Public administration, administrative arm of the All India Services of Government of India. Considered the premier civil service of India, the IAS is one of the three arms of the All India Services ...

of the rank of secretary to the Government of India. The current Defence Secretary is Shri. Giridhar Aramane, I.A.S. As a secretary to the Government of India, the Defence Secretary ranks 23rd on

Indian order of precedence The order of precedence of the Republic of India is a list in which the functionaries, dignitaries and officials are listed for ceremonial purposes and has no legal standing and does not reflect the Indian presidential line of succession or the c ...

, along with all other Secretaries to the Government of India, and

Lieutenant Generals A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in the grade of Army Commander.

Powers, responsibilities and postings

Defence Secretary is the administrative head of the

, and is the principal adviser to the

Minister of Defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

on all matters of policy and administration within the Ministry of Defence. The role of Defence Secretary is as follows: * To act as the administrative head of the

. The responsibility in this regard is complete and undivided. * To act as the chief adviser to the

Defence Minister A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in s ...

on all aspects of policy and administrative affairs. * To represent the

before the Public Accounts Committee of the

Parliament of India The Parliament of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of ...

. * The Defence Secretary is responsible for coordinating the activities of the other departments (Department of Defence Production,

Department of Military Affairs Department of Military Affairs (DMA) is the department in charge of military matters within the Indian Ministry of Defence. Headed by the Chief of Defence Staff, as its ''ex-officio'' secretary, the DMA provides integration between the armed fo ...

, Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare and Department of Defence Research and Development) in the

. * To act as the

first among equals ''Primus inter pares'' is a Latin phrase meaning first among equals. It is typically used as an honorary title for someone who is formally equal to other members of their group but is accorded unofficial respect, traditionally owing to their se ...

among the secretaries in the

Emolument, accommodation and perquisites

The Defence Secretary is eligible for a

diplomatic passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person's identity. A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily and access consular assistance. A passport certifies the personal ...

. The official earmarked residence of the Defence Secretary is 7,

New Moti Bagh New Moti Bagh is a residential colony in South Delhi. New Moti Bagh occupies an area of 143 acres, in the exclusive New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) area of New Delhi. It is one of Delhi's most expensive areas, where land rates vary from 10 ...

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Hous ...

, a Type-VIII

bungalow A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is either single-story or has a second story built into a sloping roof (usually with dormer windows), and may be surrounded by wide verandas. The first house in England that was classified as a b ...

. The salary and emolument in this rank is equivalent to chief secretaries of state governments and to Vice Chief of the Army Staff/commanders and officers in the rank of Lieutenant General and its equivalents in the

Indian Armed Forces The Indian Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Armed Forces are supported by th ...

List of Defence Secretaries

References

Bibliography

* * {{Union ministries of India Civil Services of India Indian government officials Indian Administrative Service officers Ministry of Defence (India)

Powers, responsibilities and postings

Emolument, accommodation and perquisites

List of Defence Secretaries

See also

References

Bibliography