Secretary to the Government of India

Union Secretary Keṃdrīya Saciva
Emblem of India
Flag of India
Government of India
Member of	Committee of Secretaries on Administration
Reports to	Parliament of India Council of Ministers of India Prime Minister of India
Seat	Secretariat Building, Raisina Hill, New Delhi
Appointer	Appointments Committee of the Cabinet
Term length	No term length is imposed, except for Home Secretary and Defence Secretary.[1][2][3] (Term can be extended).
Formation	1947 (1947)
Succession	11th (on the Indian order of precedence.)
Salary	₹225,000 (US$3,100) monthly[4][5]
Website	Official Website

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Secretary to the Government of India (IAST: Bhārata Sarakāra Ke Saciva), 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.^[6] The authority for the creation of this post solely rests with Union Council of Ministers.^[7]

The position holder is generally a career civil servant, mostly from the Indian Administrative Service,^{[4][8][9][10][11][12]} and a government official of high seniority. The post of the secretary, however, is an ex-cadre post, hence, anyone can occupy it, but the office-bearers generally are either from All India Services (deputation; on tenure, after empanelment) or Central Civil Services (Group A; on empanelment). All promotions and appointments to this rank and post are directly made by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet of India.

In the functioning of Government of India,^[13][14][15] a secretary is the administrative head of a ministry/department,^[16][17] and is equivalent to chief secretaries of state governments and to Vice Chief of the Army Staff/commanders and officers in the rank of full general and its equivalents in the Indian Armed Forces,^[18] in Indian Armed Forces and are listed as such on the order of precedence, ranking 23rd.^{[19][20][21][22]}

History

C. H. Bhabha with a Secretary and a few Joint Secretaries to the Government of India in 1947.

In mid-1930's, the Central Secretariat contained only 29 secretaries,^[23] who were all members of the Imperial Civil Service. The salary for a member of this rank and post was fixed at Rs. 48,000 per annum in the 1930s.^[23] As per Warrant or Precedence of 1905,^[24] secretaries to the Government of India was listed together with joint secretaries to the Government of India and were ranked above the rank of chief secretaries of provincial governments.^[24]

N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar had once suggested "A secretary should not be immersed in files and burdened with routine. It is essential that he should have time to grasp the overall picture, size up the problems facing the government in the field allotted to his charge, and think and plan ahead. All these are his proper functions and must be efficiently performed. Failure to make adequate provision in this respect cannot be compensated by a mere increase in the establishment under his control."^[25]

The Administrative Reforms Commission visualized the role of secretary, primarily as one of "coordinator, policy guide, reviewer, and evaluator."^[25]

Powers, responsibilities and postings

The organizational structure of a department of the Government of India.

Secretary to the Government of India is the administrative head of the ministry or department, and is the principal adviser to the Minister on all matters of policy and administration within the ministry/department.^[17]

The role of a secretary is as follows:

• To act as the administrative head of the ministry or department. The responsibility in this regard is complete and undivided.^[16]
• To act as the chief adviser to the minister on all aspects of policy and administrative affairs.^[16]
• To represent the ministry/department before the public accounts committee of the parliament.^[16]

The prime minister-led Appointments Committee of the Cabinet is the final authority on posting and transfer of officers of secretary level.^[26] Secretaries report to their ministerial/departmental cabinet minister and to the prime minister.

Position

In the Union government, secretaries head departments and ministries in the Union Government and hold positions such as Finance Secretary, Defence Secretary, Foreign Secretary, Home Secretary, emissaries in the foreign missions/embassies (ambassadors/high commissioners),^[27] members of the Railway Board, members of the Telecom Commission.

According to Seventh Central Pay Commission of India, seventy-three out of ninety-one secretaries to the Government of India are from the Indian Administrative Service.^[4]

Emolument, accommodation and perquisites

An Indian diplomatic passport and an official generally issued to Secretaries to the Government of India.

All secretaries to the Government of India are eligible for a diplomatic passport. Secretaries are allotted either type-VII or type-VIII bungalows in areas like New Moti Bagh and Lutyens across Delhi by the Ministry of Urban Development (Directorate of Estates).^{[28][29][30][31]}

The salary and emolument in this rank is equivalent^[18] to chief secretaries of state governments and to Vice Chief of the Army Staff/commanders and officers in the rank of full general and its equivalents in the Indian Armed Forces.^[18]

List of current secretaries to the Government of India

Out of the secretaries to the Government of India, most are IAS officers, twelve are either from scientific or from legal background, five are IFS officers, two are IPS officers and one officer belongs to the IPoS while two secretary-level positions are vacant.

Additionally, the Chairman of Railway Board is ex-officio Principal Secretary to the Government of India,^[33][34] while the members of the Railway Board are ex-officio secretaries to the Government of India.^[33][34] In addition, the members of Telecom Commission are ex-officio secretaries to the Government of India.^[35]

Reforms and challenges

Media articles and others have argued in favour of lateral entrants being recruited to this rank/post to infuse fresh energy and thinking into an insular, complacent and archaic bureaucracy.^{[36][37][38][39]}

Non-IAS civil services have complained to the Government of India because of lack of empanelment in the rank/post of secretary on numerous occasions.^{[4][8][9][10][11][12]}

See also

• Federal Secretary

References

Bibliography