Cabinet Secretary (India)

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Cabinet Secretary of Government of India
Emblem of India
Incumbent Ajit Seth, IAS
Residence	South Block, Secretariat Building, New Delhi
Appointer	Prime Minister of India
Inaugural holder	N. R. Pillai, ICS
Formation	1950
Succession	Ajit Seth
Website	Cabinet Secretariat of India

The Cabinet Secretary is the senior-most civil servant in 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 head of all civil services under the rules of business of the Government of India.

The Cabinet Secretary is under the direct charge of the Prime Minister. Though there is no fixed tenure, the average tenure of the Cabinet Secretary has been less than 3 years. His or her tenure however, can be extended.

His status in the Order of Precedence is above Chiefs of Staff or equivalent in other services holding the rank of full General and equivalent to that of Attorney General and Lieutenant Governors within their territories.

History

Origin

The Cabinet Secretariat of India.

During British colonial rule in India, the agency that carried out governmental business was called the Governor-General-in Council. In 1946, the Council was renamed the Cabinet Secretariat.

After Independence in 1947, the functions of the Secretariat underwent major changes. A series of committees on economic, defence and intelligence matters were constituted under the Cabinet Secretariat. Most of the departments created after Independence functioned under the Cabinet Secretariat, and were later on shifted 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 civil servants work in a fair and decent environment.

Functions

The following are the functions of a Cabinet Secretary:

Provide assistance to the Council of Ministers
Act as advisor and conscience keeper of the civil services
Handle senior appointments
Prepare the agenda of the Cabinet
Attend the meetings of the Cabinet
Ensure that the Cabinet decisions are implemented
Advise the Prime Minister of India
Act as the Chairman of the Committee of Secretaries on Administration
Act as the Chairman of the Chief Secretaries Committee
Provide an element of continuity and stability to administration during crises

Power and Role in Government

In the Government of India Allocation of Business Rules, 1961 "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 Government of India Transaction of Business Rules, 1961 and the Government of India Allocation of Business Rules 1961, 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/adhoc 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 has 3 wings: Civil, Military and Intelligence. The Civil wing is the main wing and provides aid, advice and assistance to the Union Cabinet. The purpose of having the Military wing is to provide 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 Major General (or equivalent) who is designated as 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 Research and Analysis Wing R&AW also officially first reports to the Cabinet Secretary, and is officially designated Secretary R in the Cabinet Secretariat.

Head of the Indian Civil Service

As head of the Indian Civil Service, the incumbent 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 civil servants work in a fair and decent environment.

The Cabinet Secretary is arguably India's most powerful bureaucrat and right hand of Prime Minister of India.

List of Cabinet Secretary of India after 1950

Name^[1]	From	To	Notes
N. R. Pillai	6 February 1950	13 May 1953	He was a member of the Indian Civil Service. He is the first head of the civil service since Independence of India and is also the first from the state of Kerala to hold this post.
Y. N. Sukthankar	14 May 1953	31 July 1957	He was a member of the Indian Civil Service.
M. K. Vellodi	1 August 1957	4 June 1958	He was a member of the Indian Civil Service. He later served as Chief Minister of Hyderabad State.
Vishnu Sahay	1 July 1958	10 November 1960	He was a member of the Indian Civil Service.
B. N. Jha	10 November 1960	8 March 1961	He was a member of the Indian Civil Service.
Vishnu Sahay	9 March 1961	15 April 1962	He was a member of the Indian Civil Service.
S. S. Khera	15 April 1962	18 November 1964	He was a member of the Indian Civil Service. He is the first Sikh to become Cabinet secretary. He was known for use of tanks against rioters in meerut riots of 1947.
Dharam Vira	18 November 1964	27 June 1966	He was a member of the Indian Civil Service.
D. S. Joshi	27 June 1966	31 December 1968	He was a member of the Indian Civil Service.
B. Sivaraman	1 January 1969	30 November 1970	He was a member of the Indian Civil Service.
T. Swaminathan	1 December 1970	2 November 1972	He was a member of the Indian Civil Service.
B. D. Pande	2 November 1972	31 March 1977	He was a member of the Indian Civil Service. He is the longest serving Cabinet Secretary ever in history of Independent India.
N. K. Mukarji	31 March 1977	31 March 1980	He was a member of the Indian Civil Service and the last ICS officer to become head of the civil service of Independent India.
S. S. Grewal	2 April 1980	30 April 1981	She is the first IAS to be appointed to this post.
C. R. Krishnaswamy Rao	30 April 1981	8 February 1985	He belongs to the IAS (AP:1949 batch).
P. K. Kaul	8 February 1985	22 August 1986	He belongs to the IAS (UP:1951 batch).
B. G. Deshmukh	23 August 1986	27 March 1989	He belongs to the IAS (Bombay:1951 batch).
T. N. Seshan	27 March 1989	23 December 1989	He belongs to the IAS (TN:1955 batch).
V. C. Pande	23 December 1989	11 December 1990	He belongs to the IAS (RJ:1955 batch).
Naresh Chandra	11 December 1990	31 July 1992	He belongs to the IAS (RJ:1956 batch).
S. Rajgopal	1 August 1992	31 July 1993
Zafar Saifullah	31 July 1993	31 July 1994	He belongs to the IAS (KA:1958 batch). He was the first and the only Muslim to have ever been appointed Cabinet Secretary of India.
Surendra Singh	1 August 1994	31 July 1996	He belongs to the IAS (UP:1959 batch).
T. S. R. Subramanian	1 August 1996	31 March 1998	He belongs to the IAS (UP:1961 batch).
Prabhat Kumar	1 April 1998	31 October 2000	He belongs to the IAS (UP:1963 batch).
T. R. Prasad	1 November 2000	31 October 2002	He belongs to the IAS (AP:1963 batch).
Kamal Pande	1 November 2002	14 June 2004	He belongs to the IAS (UL:1965 batch).
B. K. Chaturvedi	14 June 2004	13 June 2007	He belongs to the IAS (UP:1966 batch).
K. M. Chandrasekhar	14 June 2007	13 June 2011	He belongs to the IAS (KL:1970 batch).
Ajit Seth	14 June 2011	Incumbent	He belongs to the IAS (UP:1974 batch).

References

↑ Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India (8 June 2011). "Complete List of Cabinet Secretaries since 1950". New Delhi: Government of India. Retrieved 15 September 2011.

External links

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