Cabinet Secretary (India)
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The Cabinet Secretary (
ISO The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ; ; ) is an independent, non-governmental, international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Me ...
:''मंत्रिमंडळ सचिव'') is the top-most executive official and senior-most civil servant of the
Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...
. The Cabinet Secretary is the ''
ex-officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, or council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term ''List of Latin phrases (E)#ex officio, ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the off ...
'' head of the Civil Services Board, the Cabinet Secretariat, the
Indian Administrative Service The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the Public administration, administrative arm of the All India Services of Government of India. The IAS is one of the three All India Services along with the Indian Police Service (IPS) and the Indian ...
(IAS), and all
Civil Services of India In India, the Civil Service is the collection of civil servants of the government who constitute the permanent executive branch of the country. This includes servants in the All India Services, the Central Civil Services, and various State Ci ...
work under the rules of business of the government. The Cabinet Secretary is the senior most cadre post of the
Indian Administrative Service The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the Public administration, administrative arm of the All India Services of Government of India. The IAS is one of the three All India Services along with the Indian Police Service (IPS) and the Indian ...
, ranking eleventh on the
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 ...
. The Cabinet Secretary is under the direct charge of the
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
. Since 2010, the Cabinet Secretary's term length was extended to a maximum of four years. Thereafter, amended in 2019 for further extension up to 1 year. In, total up to 5 years.


History


Origin

The precursor to the cabinet, the Executive Council of the
Viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...
, used to have a Secretariat, which was headed by the Private Secretary of the Viceroy. At first, the role of this Secretariat was merely to take care of the paperwork related to the Executive Council but when the work of the individual departments under the Council increased, the work of the Secretariat too became more complex. The Private Secretary came to be known as the secretary of the secretariat. And this post became more powerful over time as the Secretariat's main role became coordinating the work of the departments. In 1946, the secretariat became cabinet secretariat and the secretary became the Cabinet Secretary.


Functions and power

The following are the functions of the Cabinet Secretary: * Heads the Cabinet Secretariat. * Acts as the chief coordinator of the central government. * Acts as the chairman of the Civil Services Board, which among other things, recommends empanelment of officers (except officers under the Ministry of External Affairs), for the ranks of
secretary A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...
, additional secretary and joint secretary. * Act as the chairman of the Committee of
Secretaries A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, Personal assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project manageme ...
on Administration. * Act as the chairman of the Conference of Chief Secretaries of States. * Recommends postings of officers (except officers under the Ministry of External Affairs) of the rank of
secretary A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...
and additional Secretary to the
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) is a high-level committee within the Government of India responsible for appointing senior officials to key positions in the central government and public sector undertakings. * Acts as the chairman of Senior Selection Board, which recommends postings of officers of the rank of joint secretary in the Union Government to the
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) is a high-level committee within the Government of India responsible for appointing senior officials to key positions in the central government and public sector undertakings. * Acts as a senior advisor to the
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
. * Provide assistance to the
Council of Ministers Council of Ministers is a traditional name given to the supreme Executive (government), executive organ in some governments. It is usually equivalent to the term Cabinet (government), cabinet. The term Council of State is a similar name that also m ...
. * Prepares the agenda of the cabinet and minutes its meetings. * Provide an element of continuity and stability to administration during crises.


Role

In the Government of India ''Allocation of Business Rules, 1961'', the Cabinet Secretariat finds a place in the First Schedule to the Rules. The subjects allotted to this Secretariat are, firstly, secretarial assistance to Cabinet and Cabinet Committees, and secondly, the Administration of the Rules of Business. The Cabinet Secretariat is responsible for the administration of the ''Transaction of Business Rules, 1961'' and the ''Allocation of Business Rules, 1961'' of the Government of India, facilitating smooth transaction of business in ministries/departments of the Government by ensuring adherence to these rules. The Secretariat assists in decision-making in Government by ensuring Inter-Ministerial coordination, ironing out differences amongst ministries/departments and evolving consensus through the instrumentality of the standing/ad hoc Committees of
Secretaries A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, Personal assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project manageme ...
. Through this mechanism, new policy initiatives are also promoted. The Cabinet Secretariat ensures that the President of India, the Vice-President and Ministers are kept informed of the major activities of all departments by means of a monthly summary of their activities. Management of major crisis situations in the country and coordinating activities of the various ministries in such a situation is also one of the functions of the Cabinet Secretariat. The Cabinet Secretariat comprises three wings: Civil, Military and Intelligence. The Civil wing is considered to be the main wing and provides aid, advice and assistance to the
Union Cabinet The Union Council of Ministers is the Cabinet (government), principal executive organ of the Government of India, which serves to aid and advise the President of India in execution of their functions.Article 74 of the ''Constitution of India' ...
. The purpose of having the Military wing is to have better coordination in Intelligence and to provide secretarial assistance to the Defence Committee of the Cabinet and the National Defence Council. The Military wing is represented by an officer of the rank of major general, or its equivalents in the
Indian Armed Forces The Indian Armed Forces are the armed forces, military forces of the India, Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, and the Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Ar ...
, who is designated as a joint secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat. The Intelligence wing deals with matters pertaining to the Joint Intelligence Committee of the union cabinet. The chief of the
Research and Analysis Wing The Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) is the foreign intelligence agency of the Republic of India. The agency's primary function is gathering foreign intelligence, counter-terrorism, counter-proliferation, advising Indian policymakers, and a ...
(R&AW) also officially first reports to the Cabinet Secretary, and is designated
Secretary A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...
(R) in the Cabinet Secretariat. The First Administrative Reforms Commission (1966–70) found that the average tenure of the Cabinet Secretary was two years and eight months, which was considered to be inadequate. It recommended a tenure of three to four years. It also wanted that Cabinet Secretary to act as the principal staff officer to the
prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
, the cabinet and the cabinet committees for important matters.


Head of the All India Civil Services

As head of the Civil Services, the incumbent position holder is accountable for ensuring that the civil services are equipped with the skills and capability to meet the everyday challenges it faces and that civil servants work in a fair and decent environment. The Cabinet Secretary is arguably India's most powerful bureaucrat and the right hand of the
Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Union Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers, despite the president of ...
.


Emolument, accommodation and perquisites

The Cabinet Secretary to Government of India is eligible for a
diplomatic passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that certifies a person's Identity (social science), identity and nationality for international travel. A passport allows its bearer to enter and temporarily reside in a foreign ...
. The official earmarked residence of the Cabinet Secretary is 12, Mother Teresa Crescent,
New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...
, a Type-VIII
bungalow A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is typically single or one and a half storey, if a smaller upper storey exists it is frequently set in the roof and Roof window, windows that come out from the roof, and may be surrounded by wide ve ...
. The salary and emolument in this rank is in pay level 18 which is equivalent to Chief of the Army Staff, but in precedence the cabinet secretary is listed above all other government officers including those from armed forces. It is however a fact, that the warrant of precedence is not an indication of functional or inter-se seniority, and is only referred to for seating at official functions, with no relevance to the day-to-day business of government.


List of Cabinet Secretaries of India

In 1950, N. R. Pillai, ICS was appointed as the first cabinet secretary.


See also

*
Defence Secretary (India) The Defence Secretary (ISO: ''Rakṣā Saciv'') is the administrative head of the Ministry of Defence. This post is held by a senior Indian Administrative Service of the rank of secretary to the Government of India. The current Defence Secretar ...
* Foreign Secretary (India) * Home Secretary (India) *
Chief secretary (India) The Chief Secretary is the highest-ranking executive official and civil servant of the government of an Indian state. The Chief Secretary is the ''ex-officio'' head of the state Civil Services Board, the State Secretariat, the state cadre Indi ...
*
Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India The Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India (PS to the PM; ISO: ''Bhārat Ke Pradhānmantrī Ke Pradhān Saciv'') is the administrative head of the Prime Minister's Office. The officeholder is generally a retired civil servant, mostl ...
* National Security Advisor (India)


Notes


References


External links


Cabinet Secretariat — Government of IndiaOfficial portal of the Government of IndiaUnion Public Service Commission
{{DEFAULTSORT:Civil Services of India * Civil Services of India Indian government officials Indian Administrative Service officers