In one place of the Report, Ayaangar said the Cabinet Secretary should be “an administrative officer of the highest rank”. Policies and principles of administration are to be changed to suit the new circumstances and this crucial job is necessarily performed by the secretariat. In fact, the officer cannot discharge his duties without a secretary. The officers of the Indian Foreign Service hold almost all the secretariat posts in the ministry of external affairs. Naturally, this department is the initiator of all policies or decisions. Today even in that country the situation has changed. But with the passage of time even this nomenclature has changed. Normally, a division comprises two branches, each under an undersecretary. The advisers of ancient times have come to be termed today as secretary. There is neither honesty nor efficiency in our administrative system. So it was that the OECS was established. The Maxwell Report (1937), recommended its abolition. The Central Secretariat normally performs the following functions: (1) Assisting the minister in the discharge of his policy making and parliamentary functions. The discipline has become weak and those who had early deputation are reaping the fruits. Under this system, the work of a ministry or department at the lowest level is organised into different functional desks each manned by an officer of appropriate rank, that is under secretary, section officer or assistant, who handles the case himself with the adequate stenographic/clerical assistance. The person holding the post of Cabinet Secretary will have to discharge the following functions: (1) The Cabinet Secretary is the chief administrative adviser to the PM Needless to say that when at the time of Lal Bahadur Shastri, the Cabinet secretariat was created this particular function of the head of the Cabinet Secretariat was in mind. There are generally two methods in the discharge of duties. The rigorous discipline of the tenure system postulates appointment of the best, which is not a simple exercise in view of the clash of interests. He acts on behalf of his secretary and discharges the majority of functions of his own volition. The Administrative Reforms Commission visualised the secretary’s role primarily as one or “coordinator, policy guide, reviewer and evaluator”. But the case of India offers us a different picture: India is a land with numerous diversities. Because, the administration is a formal matter. There is a post of deputy secretary and in order of rank he is next to the secretary. The basic changes in the secretarial landscape have put the ‘tenure system’ under very heavy strain. It envisages level jumping and initial examination of cases at more responsible levels. So the secretary is the most important officer of the department and he is closely or directly related with the minister For example, today’s finance minister may be the home minister next day. Imbalance of salary structures, amenities available at the capital, proximity to the centre, greater opportunities for travels abroad, better educational and career opportunities for children have proved too powerful incentives for officers to stay on in New Delhi. In fact, (2) it strengthens the office at the cost of district experience. The office consists of section officers, assistants, upper division clerks and lower division clerks, typists, stenographers and Class IV workers. Some officers tend to do a protracted spell of secretariat duty. The PMO assists him in the successful discharge of all the various types of duties. The General Secretariat provides the organisation with comprehensive corporate services in the areas of IT, human resources, finance, facilities management, security and meeting services. But since the administration is a single unit there is a great necessity of coordinating the departments and this, function is performed by the cabinet secretariat. The levels of decision-making in the secretariat are at the levels of the under secretary, the deputy secretary and the secretary. He is the Chairman of the Planning Commission. The procedures prescribed in the Central Secretariat Manual of Office Procedure (CSMOP), attempt to balance the conflicting considerations of speed, quality, transparency and propriety. It is essential that he should have time to grasp the overall picture, size up the problems facing government in the field allotted to his charge, and think and plan ahead. Though the cabinet secretariat cannot reject summarily any decision of a minister it has power to review and scrutinise and, finally, to give suggestion. The pool was to include officers drawn from the Indian Administrative Service, Class I officers of the central services including the Central Secretariat Service and Class I officers of state services. The ministers convey their views to the officers of administration and the latter sometimes communicate their points to the ministers through the Cabinet Secretary. V. Shankar, P. C. Alexander, R. K. Dhawan, G. Parthasarathi were very powerful civil servants and they were made the head of the PMO. Both the permanent and the temporary executives make policies. The administrative system of India must see that the results as well as benefits of administration reach the remotest corner and far-flung areas of India The ministers must remember this crucial aspect and, in that light, make policy. If the work of updating is neglected or kept aside the whole administration will suffer and people’s needs will remain unfulfilled. Mr. Gopalaswami Ayyangar observed: “The interposition is prima facie an unsatisfactory arrangement. However, there was a further shift under Mrs. Gandhi’s leadership away from reliance upon any of the formal channels of authority in the system to dependency upon a narrow clique of personal advisers accountable only to the Prime Minister” (The Politics of India since Independence, This is the source of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The person must be in the good book of the chief of the central government. If necessary the secretariat initiates new measures, changes or amends the old policies. But in practice this difference is not strictly adhered to. It implies that certain growing areas of administration need specialised attention. On important and critical issues of national and international standard the Prime Minister is to take advice and suggestion from persons who have wide experience. In due course, this post got devalued with the interpolation of new cadres like those of joint or additional secretaries. Thus, the inherent principle of the system is speed combined with quality. The strength of all India services is so fixed with reserve quota so that officers for deputation may be spared by the state and both the administrations may garner the mutual advantages of the tenure system. Formerly, such secretaries were designated as the secretary-general or the principal secretary. The post of the joint secretary between the secretary and the deputy secretary existed as an exception but the joint secretary ship is a regular feature in all the departments of the Government of India. At present both the central and state governments are appointing OSDs. Needless to say that it is beyond the capacity of ministers to prepare replies to the questions. The Wheeler Committee gave figures to prove that the complaint of the provinces that they did not reap the benefit of reversion of their officers is well founded. Direct recruitment to the level of upper division clerk is done in the promotional frame from LDCs. While justifying the practice of appointing officers on special duty, the government contended that “OSD are appointed on two different criteria. A similar post was revived in the ministry of external affairs to take charge of the administration of Foreign Service. The basic idea was to select and earmark officials for higher positions, in the field of economic administration. He is very often the only one to utter the last word about India’s stand on both these issues. The senior positions were manned by provincial officers borrowed on deputation. Report a Violation, Difference between Cabinet Secretariat and Prime Minister’s Secretariat, State Chief Secretary and Union Cabinet Secretary, Decentralisation of Indian Administration. The section officer presides over the office. The functions of a secretary is to assist the minister in the discharge of duties or making a policy. (4) Officers of the selection grade of the central secretariat service. But none could challenge, criticise or contradict the opinion of Nehru. The officers seconded to it have been freed from the operation of the tenure rule and have continued in the union government till superannuation. The cabinet secretariat, though a single unit of body is, in fact, a conglomeration of almost all the ministerial departments of union government. He is the chief spokesman of his government. It is aimed at eliminating dilatoriness procedures in the functioning of the secretariat and equipping it to cope more effectively with the new and increasing demands. (5) Policy Advisory Committees are being contemplated to facilitate the work of the desk. But in practice, there are officers who have liking for central postings in ministries and agencies that manage economic affairs, with an eye on international organisations like the World Bank or IMF and the like. In subsequent years this function of the Cabinet Secretary has become the most prominent one. The members of the parliament raise questions and the ministers give reply. of the union government pass through the PMO. Each assistant is allotted a certain number of headings to deal with. Here lies the importance of the cabinet secretariat. In the structure of central administration there is a post of additional secretary. In the central government there are thus PM, council of ministers and a secretariat. The lower division clerk is recruited directly through a competitive examination by the Staff Services Commission since 1976. •Economics and Domestic Affairs Secretariat •Strategy Unit •European and Global Issues Secretariat •National Security Secretariat •Joint Intelligence Organisation •Efficiency and Reform •Corporate Services Group •The Central Office of Information •The National School of Government So the Government of India decided to maintain the existing arrangements whereby, except in same departments, the tenure of office was kept limited to three years, but extended if need be. One point demands special emphasis. Content Guidelines 2. Without this principle various departments of central government cannot function properly. The Maxwell Committee (1937) reiterated the same arguments of the Wheeler Committee for the continuance of the tenure system. This can be explained in the following way. Maheswari is right on the real origin of the cabinet secretariat. We observe that the bureaucrats are either inefficient or are not interested in good governance which indicates proper use of resources for social and economic development. (4) Adequate provision of leave reserve has been made. Experience is an asset to the provinces or districts and the intimate knowledge of the filed is invaluable in the provincial and the central secretariats. The department of personnel and training, cabinet secretariat and the Prime Minister’s office do the screening work. The central secretariat is a collection of a variety of ministries and departments. Those who opt for the secretariat should spend the rest of their career in the secretariat. This job is done by the cabinet secretariat. The number of OSD, is always more than needed in terms of the nature of work given to them. The PM may belong to a party but he is to adjust or compromise with other partners of the coalition government and naturally the authority of the PM is not absolute. There is no uniform terminology describing the various segments of administrative structure of the Union government. There is also a post of director. The General Secretariat is the central and permanent organ of the Organization of American States. In a dynamic context, this balance cannot be rigidly or permanently fixed. (6) Other state civil service officers, in consultation with the Union Public Service Commission. The ordinary people are to run from pillar to post in search of justice or for the removal of grievances. He is vested with the maximum measure of independent functioning and responsibility in respect of the items of work falling under his wing. There is a very important function of the cabinet secretariat and in this connection we refer to the content of Art. But at the head there is the secretary who will have to give answer to every question or problem. The government agreed to keep the posts of secretary and deputy secretary in central secretariat as temporary to keep living contact with the provinces. Within a very short time the PMO became the most powerful body of central administration and simultaneously it became the chief policy-making department. But SR Maheshwari, a well-known writer on Indian Administration, slightly differs. We thus find that the administration and good governance are inseparable concepts. In a word, this body sits at the top of the entire administrative structure. All the important matters that are required to be sent to the President or PM the cabinet secretariat does this job. Another is, he may be asked by the secretary to assist him in the discharge of his duties. Regarding this function the following comment has been made: “The Cabinet Secretary provided the eyes and ears for the Prime Minister to keep in touch’ with the process of official business in the central government” Quoted by Avasthi and. Viewed from this angle it can be said that there was practically no existence of cabinet secretariat or central secretariat. The secretary represents his ministry in all national and international committees and conferences along with the minister. Lord Curzon who had a special love for the man working in the districts introduced this practice called tenure system in 1905 with a belief that India may be governed from Simla to Calcutta but has to be administered from the plains. The internal hierarchy of the Ministry is as under: (1) Department – Secretary/Additional/Special Secretary, (6) Office – Assistant, Clerk, Subordinate. Posts in the secretariat are limited and aspirants drawn from various all-India and central services are too many. In fact, the ‘tenure system’ does not governed all the posts under the Government of India. The Bureau shall decide on the establishment plan of the Secretariat and lay down regulations relating to the administrative and financial situation of officials and other servants. Today’s society is an open one. During the British regime the purpose of administration was to maintain law and order. Avasthi, Indian Administration. The PMO provides all information and other details required by the PM. Naturally, along with the rise of the importance of Plan and Planning Commission the importance of cabinet secretariat has increased and is increasing day by day. But the new arrangement still sticks to the original pattern of staffing because its advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The secretariat helps the ministers in their individual and collective capacity to formulate policies on all matters of state administration. The manning of secretariat positions by different services is governed by administrative practice and is not mandatory. The authority must take action in response to these changes which means adoption of new policies. The system institutionalises the need for change at higher levels and the Maxwell Committee viewed its range from Governor-General’s council members to junior under secretaries. When the volume of work in a ministry exceeds the manageable charge of a secretary, one or more wings are established with a joint secretary in charge of each wing. Naturally the ministers try to make policy to meet the demands of the electorate and keep the pledges given on the eve of election. Moreover, if some work is of a purely temporary character, it may be meaningfully concentrated in one hand. The joint secretary of a department/ministry is a key administrative functionary and his imprint on policy and decision-making in government is immense. He represents India in internal as well as external affairs. Sometimes it seeks advice from the minister. Thus, the level of additional secretary has come to stay in the secretariat enabling him to concentrate on the more important policy matters. For a better and efficient management of administration an artificial separateness has been done. Mobility apart, it is enriching to generalists and even technical officers to look forward for pastures anew”. Appointments to the Central Administrative Tribunals, State Administrative Tribunals and other important constitutional authorities are generally made by the PM. The term “ministry” came into vague only after independence in 1947. Inherent in this arrangement is a duplication of real responsibility to the minister. The staff of the Central Commission is governed by its Staff Regulations. Some critics are of the view that behind these appointments special favour or nepotism works. The term secretariat is derived from secretary. Today the PMO holds so much importance that it is treated as a separate ministry and there is a minister who is in charge of the PMO. Deputy secretary was not to report to the director but would refer the file direct to the joint secretary. It is the duty of the cabinet secretariat to scrutinise all the important aspects of the draft. The questions regarding civil service and administrative reforms are generally dealt with by the PM and in all these issues relevant information is furnished by the PMO. There was no Central Secretariat Service for the central officials before 1948. The prevailing administrative structure does not provide any scope for the appointment of another officer. The decision, policies etc. A Joint Secretary is generally in-charge of a wing in the ministry. In 1949 the Government of India formed a committee known as Reorganisation of Machinery of Government and this was headed by Gopalswami Ayaangar. In this way he acts as a link. When the secretary is heavily burdened with administrative work he is assisted by another important person next to him. Thus the two words secretary and secretness are closely related concepts. Their main function is to make policy and the civil servants help the ministers in this field. The office puts up drafts for approval and brings to notice matters requiring action or orders. secretariat definition: 1. the office or people responsible for the management of an organization, especially an…. From 1947 to 1964 (year of Nehru’s death) India’s cabinet form of government was actually the Prime Ministerial form of government. The preparations of answers and, above all, the management are the collective job. They are called section officers also and are also responsible for handling of important and intricate cases. He is the first line supervisor in the secretariat hierarchy and is expected to settle minor cases in his own discretion. But the department is again divided into several parts. The deputy secretary is an important officer. The Secretariat of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is headed by the Secretary General. The high commissioners and ambassadors of India to foreign countries are formally appointed by the President. His responsibility for the administration as head is complete and undivided. We thus find that into the central administration are included PM, council of ministers and secretariat. The functions of the office can be carried out automatically through cases sent to office without specific directions. Tweet. The Secretariat’s task is to coordinate legislative work and organise plenary sittings and meetings. Wheeler’s arguments for tenure system were: (1) The experience will train civil servants to assume responsibilities and cultivate a sound judgement. The officers come on tenure and the continually is provided by the office comprising section officers, assistants, upper division clerks. Functionally, the undersecretary will submit cases to the joint secretary, the desk officer to the deputy secretary/director and the desk attaché to the under secretary if it is not a desk, otherwise to the deputy secretary/director. To accommodate persons or to meet unexpected emergency needs of flexibility in administration, this post is created. This department supplies all the relevant data and materials necessary for making a draft outline of Plan. The British PM has his secretariat to give him advice and suggestions. These officers were either to be permanently seconded to the pool or selected for it. There is a qualitative change in the nature of the functions which has led to the creation of several pools like the Commerce and Finance Pool, the Central Administrative Pool and the Central Economic Pool, the Industrial Management Pool and services like the Indian Economic Service and the Indian Statistical Service. Duties of a secretariat include trend tracking. If we look at the functioning of the cabinet secretariat, we shall find that actually all or majority of the policies or decisions are initiated by the cabinet secretariat. In the political machinery there are. According to Gorwala the joint secretaries ought to be in reality the secretaries and joint to a more senior secretary for the convenience of administrative work. In technical and specialized departments, the personnel are drawn from other services. In a democracy the members of the government formulate policy. 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