Joint Secretary to Government of India

The post and rank of Joint Secretary (abbreviated as JS) in India denotes a government official from the civil service of high seniority and is only found in the federal Government of India. All promotions and appointments to this rank and post are directly made by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. The members who hold this rank are either from the All India Services (Deputation on tenure) or Central Civil Services (Group A; on empanelment). In the Order of precedence of India the members are listed with rank "and pay" equivalent to Major-General (MajGen) and Inspector General (IGP).[1]

In the federal government, the members head department wings in the departments and ministries in federal government and hold positions such as Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO), Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), emissaries in the foreign missions/embassies (Ambassadors and Ministers),[2] Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, Director General of Civil Aviation of India,[3][4] Director General of National Literacy Mission Authority, Economic Advisers, Advisors of TRAI, Joint Directors of CBI,[5] Additional Director Generals (AIR and Doordarshan),[6] Board members of Staff Selection Commission of India[7] Commissioner of Taxes and Police, Chief Engineers in Federal Government departments (Railways, CPWD etc), Chairman, managing director, full-time functional Director/Member of the Board of Management of various Public Sector Undertakings/ Enterprises, Corporations, Banks and financial institutions.

They also hold the post of Social Secretary and Press Secretary to President of India.[8]

In the Cabinet Secretariat, the Military wing is headed by an officer from one of the three services with the rank of Major General or equivalent. He is given the status of this rank and is designated as Joint Secretary (Military).[9]

In the state government, the members hold positions such as Secretary, Chief Conservator of Forests (CCFs), Divisional Commissioners and in all north eastern states and few other states like Karnataka, Bihar they also hold the post of Principal Secretary[10] and Additional Principal Secretary.[11]

An OSD (Officer on Special Duty) is considered equivalent to the Joint secretary level. He / she is usually an IAS oficer on central deputation to a particular ministry.[12]

History

Until the year 1946, there were only 25 Joint Secretaries in Government of India. However, the number has increased enormously in view of the increase in the volume and complexities of work.[13]

Powers, Responsibilities and Postings

Joint Secretary is the overall in-charge with the necessary measure of independent functioning and responsibility of the Wing of the Department allocated and entrusted to him.[14] The Prime Minister of India is the final authority on posting and transfer of officers of Joint Secretary level.[15]

Emolument, Accommodation and Perks

All Joint Secretaries to Government of India are eligible for Diplomatic passport. They are allotted Type V (D-II amd D-I) and Type VI (C-II) apartments across Delhi by Ministry of Urban Development (Directorate of Estates).[16]

Notable members

Challenges and Reforms

In light of the rapidly developing technology sector in India, including large foreign companies outsourcing computer-related business to Indian operations, there is a growing need for a Joint Commissioner of Police for cybercrime. Although challenging, such a position may be established seamlessly, as Joint Commissioner is an existing rank equivalent to that of Joint Secretary.

Former Governor of Reserve Bank of India Bimal Jalan has voiced for posts at the level of Joint Secretary to be opened up to outside competition.[22]

Notes

  1. ↑ Nagendra Singh was a member of the ICS. In 1948, he came to the center as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India) and from 1954 to 1956 was Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Defence (India) and later was posted to Ministry of Transport, Shipping and Communications in the 1960's.
  2. ↑ Manmohan Singh joined the Government of India in 1971 "through lateral entry" as Joint Secretary to Government of India (Economic Adviser) in the Ministry of Foreign Trade, India during the time of Prime Minister of Indira Gandhi. He later went onto become Chief Economic Adviser.
  3. ↑ Montek Singh Ahluwalia joined the Government of India in 1979 "through lateral entry" as Joint Secretary to Government of India (Economic Adviser) dealing with economic affairs in the Ministry of Finance (India) during the time of Prime Minister of P. V. Narasimha Rao. He later went onto become Finance Secretary.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "President's Secretariat" (PDF). Office of the President of India. Rajya Sabha. 26 August 1979. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
  2. ↑ "MEA Moves its Men, Post-Haste". The Sunday Standard. 2 March 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  3. ↑ "Civil aviation ministry embraces new year with top-level changes". The Sunday Standard. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  4. ↑ "Joint secretary Kumar proposed as new DGCA". The Times of India. 27 December 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  5. ↑ "Sanctioned Strength of Central Bureau of Investigation – Executive Officers" (PDF). Central Bureau of Investigation. 3 February 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  6. ↑ "Sheheryar, First Kashmiri Appointed as Director General All India Radio". freepresskashmir.com. 3 February 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  7. ↑ "Selection of Appointment of Member of Staff Selection Commission of India" (PDF). Minister of Home Affairs (India). 27 December 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  8. ↑ "The President's Secretariat of India". President Secretariat of India. January 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  9. ↑ "History of Integrated Defence Staff, India". Ministry of Defence, India. January 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  10. ↑ "Three more IAS officers from state posted as joint secretaries in Modi govt". The Indian Express. 2 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  11. ↑ "A K Sharma appointed Joint Secretary (GOI) in Modi's PMO". The Times of India. 31 May 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  12. ↑ G Files : Inside teh government. India's first magazine on India Bureaucracy and Governance. (Vol 5, Issue 10 ed.). January 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  13. ↑ Maheshwari, S.B. (2001). Indian Administration (Sixth Edition). Orient Blackswan. p. 666. ISBN 9788125019886.
  14. ↑ "Powers and Duties of Officers and Employees as defined in the Manual of Office Procedure". Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion. 21 August 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  15. ↑ "PM to oversee cadre allocation of bureaucrats, postings of joint secretaries and above". The Times of India. 21 August 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  16. ↑ "Compendium (RTI Act) – Government Residence (General Pool in Delhi) Rules" (PDF). Directorate of Estates, Ministry of Urban Development. January 2013. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  17. ↑ "CTC CHAIRMAN BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE : Hardeep Singh Puri". United Nations. January 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  18. ↑ "Najeeb Jung sworn-in as Delhi Lt. Governor". The Hindu. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  19. ↑ "Pulok Chatterjee takes over as Principal Secretary to PM". The Hindu. 4 October 2011. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  20. ↑ "We need to start worrying about the new normalcy, says Reddy". Mint. 6 December 2009. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  21. ↑ "U K Sinha to get 2-year extension". Business Standard. 28 January 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  22. ↑ "Bring in experts. Snip away red tape". Hindustan Times. 29 July 2009. Retrieved 12 March 2014.

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