Cabinet Secretary (India)

Last updated

Cabinet Secretary
Emblem of India.svg
Emblem of India
Rajiv Gauba at conferring the awards to representatives from ODF districts under Swachh Bharat Mission, in New Delhi (2) (cropped).jpg
Incumbent
Rajiv Gauba
since 30 August 2019
Cabinet Secretariat
StatusHead of Permanent Executive
Abbreviation CSI
Member of Civil Services Board [lower-alpha 1]
NCMC [lower-alpha 1]
SPG
Space Commission
AEC
Reports to President of India
Prime Minister of India
Residence 32, Prithviraj Road, New Delhi [1]
Seat Cabinet Secretariat, New Delhi
Appointer ACC
Term length 4 years [2] [3]
Extension may be granted [4]
Inaugural holder N. R. Pillai, ICS
Formation6 February 1950;74 years ago (1950-02-06)
Succession11th (on the Indian order of precedence)
Salary₹250,000 (US$3,100) monthly [5] [6]
Website cabsec.gov.in

The Cabinet Secretary is the top-most executive official and senior-most civil servant of the Government of India. The Cabinet Secretary is the ex-officio head of the Civil Services Board, the Cabinet Secretariat, the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), and all Civil Services of India work under the rules of business of the government.

Contents

The Cabinet Secretary is the senior-most cadre post of the Indian Administrative Service, [7] ranking eleventh on the Indian order of precedence. [8] [9] [10] [11] The Cabinet Secretary is under the direct charge of the Prime Minister. Since 2010, the Cabinet Secretary's term length was extended to a maximum of four years. [2] [3]

History

Origin

The precursor to the cabinet, the Executive Council of the Viceroy, 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.

After Independence in 1947, the functions of the Secretariat underwent major changes. Being the seniormost secretary, he doesn't belong to any ministry. A series of committees on economic, defence and intelligence matters was constituted under the Cabinet Secretariat. Most of the departments created after Independence functioned under the Cabinet Secretariat and were later seconded to the respective ministries. The position holder is accountable for ensuring that the civil service is equipped with the skills and capability to meet the everyday challenges it faces and that the civil servants work in a fair and decent environment.

Functions and power

The following are the functions of the Cabinet Secretary:

Role

The Cabinet Secretariat is the office of Cabinet Secretary of India Delhi India Government.jpg
The Cabinet Secretariat is the office of Cabinet Secretary of India

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. 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 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, 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 (R&AW) also officially first reports to the Cabinet Secretary, and is designated Secretary (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, 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. [13] [16] [17]

Emolument, accommodation and perquisites

The Cabinet Secretary to Government of India is eligible for a diplomatic passport. The official earmarked residence of the Cabinet Secretary is 32, Prithviraj Road, New Delhi, a Type-VIII bungalow. [1]

The salary and emolument in this rank is in pay level 18 which is equivalent to Chief of the Army Staff, [18] but in precedence the cabinet secretary is listed above all other government officers including those from armed forces. [18] 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. [19]

Cabinet Secretary monthly pay
Base salary as per 7th Pay Commission (Per month)Pay matrix levelSources
₹250,000 (US$3,100)Pay level 18 [5] [6]

List of Cabinet Secretaries of India

In 1950, N. R. Pillai, ICS was appointed as the first cabinet secretary. [20]

Cabinet Secretaries of India since 1950 [21]
S.NoNameAssumed officeLeft officeTenureCadre/ BatchNotes
1 N. R. Pillai 6 February 195013 May 19532 years, 7 months, 8 days ICS Inaugural Holder
2 Y. N. Sukthankar 14 May 195331 July 19574 years, 2 months, 17 days
3 M. K. Vellodi 1 August 19574 June 195810 months, 3 daysEarlier served as Chief Minister of Hyderabad State.
4 Vishnu Sahay 1 July 195810 November 19602 years, 4 months, 9 days
5B. N. Jha10 November 19608 March 19613 months, 26 daysShortest serving Cabinet Secretary
6 Vishnu Sahay 9 March 196115 April 19621 year, 1 month, 6 days
7S. S. Khera15 April 196218 November 19642 years, 7 months, 3 daysFirst Sikh as Cabinet Secretary.
8 Dharma Vira 18 November 196427 June 19661 year, 7 months, 9 days
9 D. S. Joshi 27 June 196631 December 19682 years, 6 months, 4 days
10 B. Sivaraman 1 January 196930 November 19701 year, 10 months, 29 days
11 T. Swaminathan 1 December 19702 November 19721 year, 11 months, 1 day
12 B. D. Pandey 2 November 197231 March 19774 years, 4 months, 29 days
13 N. K. Mukarji 31 March 197731 March 19803 years
14 S. S. Grewal 2 April 198030 April 19811 year, 28 days PB:1947
15 C. R. Krishnaswamy Rao 30 April 19818 February 19853 years, 9 months, 9 days AP:1949
16 P. K. Kaul 8 February 198522 August 19861 year, 6 months, 14 days UP:1951
17 B. G. Deshmukh 23 August 198627 March 19892 years, 7 months, 4 days MH:1951
18 T. N. Seshan 27 March 198923 December 19898 months, 26 days TN:1955
19 V. C. Pande 23 December 198911 December 199011 months, 18 days RJ:1955
20 Naresh Chandra 11 December 199031 July 19921 year, 7 months, 20 days RJ:1956
21S. Rajagopal1 August 199231 July 199311 months, 30 days MH:1957
22 Zafar Saifullah 31 July 199331 July 19941 year KA:1958
23 Surendra Singh 1 August 199431 July 19961 year, 11 months, 30 days UP:1959
24 T. S. R. Subramanian 1 August 199631 March 19981 year, 7 months, 30 days UP:1961
25 Prabhat Kumar 1 April 199831 October 20002 years, 6 months, 30 days UP:1963
26 T. R. Prasad 1 November 200031 October 20021 year, 11 months, 30 days AP:1963
27Kamal Pandey1 November 200214 June 20041 year, 7 months, 13 days UK:1965
28 B. K. Chaturvedi 14 June 200413 June 20072 years, 11 months, 30 days UP:1966
29 K. M. Chandrasekhar 14 June 200713 June 20113 years 11 months 30 days KL:1970
30 Ajit Seth 14 June 201113 June 20153 years 11 months 30 days UP:1974
31 P. K. Sinha 14 June 201530 August 20194 years 2 months 16 days UP:1977
32 Rajiv Gauba 30 August 2019 [22] Incumbent 4 years, 7 months and 9 days JH:1982Longest-serving Cabinet Secretary

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 As Chairman.

Related Research Articles

A cabinet secretary is usually a senior official who provides services and advice to a cabinet of ministers as part of the Cabinet Office. In many countries, the position can have considerably wider functions and powers, including general responsibility for the entire civil service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of India</span> Legislative, executive and judiciary authority of India

The Government of India, also known as the Central Government, is the national authority of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, consisting of 28 union states and eight union territories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Administrative Service</span> Central Civil Services of the Government of India and State Government

The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the 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 and Indian Forest Service. Members of these three services serve the Government of India as well as the individual states. IAS officers are also deployed to various government establishments such as constitutional bodies, staff and line agencies, auxiliary bodies, public sector undertakings, regulatory bodies, statutory bodies and autonomous bodies.

The finance secretary is the administrative head of the Ministry of Finance. This post is held by senior IAS officer of the rank of Secretary to Government of India. T. V. Somanathan is the incumbent Finance Secretary.

The All India Services (AIS) comprises three Civil Services of India common to the centre and state governments, which includes the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), the Indian Police Service (IPS), and the Indian Forest Service (IFS). Civil servants recruited through All India Services by the central government are assigned to different state government cadres. Some civil servants may, later in their career, also serve the centre on deputation. Officers of these three services comply to the All India Services Rules relating to pay, conduct, leave, various allowances etc.

The National Security Council (NSC) of India is an executive government agency tasked with advising the Prime Minister's Office on matters of national security and strategic interest. It was established by the former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee on 19 November 1998, with Brajesh Mishra as the first National Security Advisor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabinet Secretariat (India)</span> Department responsible for the administration of the Government of India

The Cabinet Secretariat is responsible for the administration of the Government of India. It provides secretarial assistance to the Cabinet of India and facilitates smooth transaction of business between Ministries and Departments of the Government. It functions from the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Raisina Hill in New Delhi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naresh Chandra</span> Indian civil servant

Naresh Chandra was a 1956 batch IAS officer of Rajasthan cadre who served as the Cabinet Secretary of India, Defence Secretary of India, Home Secretary of India, Water Resources Secretary of India and Indian Ambassador to the United States. He was awarded India's second highest civilian honour the Padma Vibhushan for civil service in 2007.

Central Secretariat Service is the administrative civil service under Group A and Group B of the Central Civil Services of the executive branch of the Government of India. They are governed by Central Secretariat Service Rules of 1962, which has been issued under the powers of Article 309 of the Constitution of India. The service members work under restrictions and rules of Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign Secretary (India)</span> Seniormost non-elected official of the Ministry of External Affairs of India

The foreign secretary of India is the top diplomat of India and administrative head of the Ministry of External Affairs. This post is held by an Indian foreign service officer of the rank of secretary to the government of India. Vinay Mohan Kwatra is an Indian diplomat and currently serving as the Foreign Secretary of India from May 2022, succeeding Harsh Vardhan Shringla.

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 career officials in the All India Services, the Central Civil Services, and various State Civil Services, who are recruited by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), and each state's Public Service Commissions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chairperson of the Central Board of Direct Taxes</span> Indian civil servant

The Chairperson, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) is the senior-most IRS (IT) civil servant in the Government of India. The Chairperson of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) is the Special Secretary to the Government of India and also cadre controlling authority of the Indian Revenue Service.

Joint Secretary to the Government of India is a post under the Central Staffing Scheme and the third highest non-political executive rank in the Government of India. The authority for creation of this post solely rests with the Cabinet of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chief secretary (India)</span> List of Chief Secretaries in the Indian states

The Chief Secretary is the top-most executive official and senior-most civil servant of the state government. The Chief Secretary is the ex-officio head of the state Civil Services Board, the State Secretariat, the state cadre Indian Administrative Service and all civil services under the rules of business of the state government. The Chief Secretary acts as the principal advisor to the chief minister on all matters of state administration.

The 7th Central Pay Commission (7CPC), constituted in February 2014 the principles and structure of emoluments of all central government civilian employees including defence forces in India, submitted its report on 19 November 2015. 7CPC's recommendations affects the organization, rank structure, pay, allowances and pension, of 13,86,171 armed forces personnel. This helps A salary monitoring system is designed to determine and suggest needed changes to the salaries of government employees.page 105, para 6.2.2[3]

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secretary to the Government of India</span> Indian government official

Secretary to the Government of India, often abbreviated as Secretary, GoI, or simply as Secretary, is a post and a rank under the Central Staffing Scheme of the Government of India. The authority for the creation of this post solely rests with the Union Council of Ministers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Home Secretary (India)</span> Administrative head of the Ministry of Home Affairs of India

The home secretary is the administrative head of the Ministry of Home Affairs. This post is held by a senior IAS officer of the rank of Secretary to Government of India. The current Home Secretary is Ajay Kumar Bhalla. All Central Forces including the CRPF, CISF, BSF and State Police Forces are under the Union Home Secretary.

The Defence Secretary 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 Secretary is Shri. Giridhar Aramane, I.A.S.

Additional Secretary is a post and a rank under the Central Staffing Scheme of the Government of India. The authority for creation of this post solely rests with Cabinet of India.

The Personnel Secretary, popularly called as Secretary (P), is the administrative head of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) under Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. This post is held by senior IAS officer of the rank of Secretary to Government of India. The current Personnel Secretary is S. Radha Chauhan, a 1988 batch IAS officer of UP cadre.

References

  1. 1 2 "PK Sinha is the top boss". GFiles Magazine. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Four years for Cabinet Secretary". The Hindu . 22 July 2010. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Fixed four-year tenure for Cabinet Secretary". The Indian Express . 22 July 2010. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  4. ↑ "Centre relaxes rules to give one-year extension to Cabinet secretary". The Times of India . 3 August 2023. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Report of the 7th Central Pay Commission of India" (PDF). Seventh Central Pay Commission, Government of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  6. 1 2 Biswas, Shreya, ed. (29 June 2016). "7th Pay Commission cleared: What is the Pay Commission? How does it affect salaries?". India Today . Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  7. ↑ "Even Cabinet Secy's is IAS cadre post: Centre". Rediff.com . 3 March 2008. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  8. ↑ "Order of Precedence" (PDF). Rajya Sabha . President's Secretariat. 26 July 1979. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  9. ↑ "Table of Precedence" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India . President's Secretariat. 26 July 1979. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 May 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  10. ↑ "Table of Precedence". Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India . President's Secretariat. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  11. ↑ Maheshwari, S.R. (2000). Indian Administration (6th ed.). New Delhi: Orient Blackswan Private Ltd. ISBN   9788125019886.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Laxmikanth, M. (2014). Governance in India (2nd ed.). Noida: McGraw-Hill Education (published 25 August 2014). pp. 3.16–3.17. ISBN   978-9339204785.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Iype, George (31 May 2006). "What does the Cabinet Secretary do?". Rediff.com . Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  14. 1 2 3 4 "Powers & Duties of Officials". Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India . Archived from the original on 24 September 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  15. 1 2 3 "The Current System". Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India . Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  16. ↑ "PK Sinha to be next cabinet secretary: All you should know about India's most powerful bureaucrat". Firstpost . FP Staff. Network 18. 29 May 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  17. ↑ "From Power Secretary to the most powerful bureaucrat and he is the India's Top IAS officer". Business Line . Our Bureau. New Delhi: The Hindu Group. 29 May 2015. ISSN   0971-7528. OCLC   456162874 . Retrieved 6 August 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  18. 1 2 "Army Pay Rules, 2017" (PDF). Ministry of Defence, Government of India . 3 May 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  19. ↑ https://www.mha.gov.in/sites/default/files/table_of_precedence.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  20. ↑ "Cabinet Secretariat - Cabinet Secretaries". 10 March 2010. Archived from the original on 10 March 2010. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  21. ↑ "Cabinet Secretaries Since 1950". Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India . 8 June 2011. Archived from the original on 13 May 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  22. ↑ "Shri Rajiv Gauba Takes Over as the New Cabinet Secretary". 30 August 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.