Secretary to the Government of India

File:C H Bhabha inaugurating meeting of the Indian Oilseeds Committee.jpg with a Secretary and a few Joint Secretaries to the Government of India in 1947.|305x305px]]

In mid-1930s, the Central Secretariat contained only twenty-nine{{Nbsp}}secretaries, who were all members of the Indian Civil Service. The salary for a member of this rank and post was fixed at {{INRConvert|48|k|year=1930}} annum in the 1930s.{{cite book|title=Britain's Imperial Administrators, 1858-1966|last=Kirk-Greene|first=A.|author-link = Anthony Kirk-Greene|publisher=Springer|year=2000|isbn=9780230286320|location=New York City}} As per warrant or precedence of 1905,As per published records and book named "The India List and India Office List 1905" as published by India Office and India Office Records. 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.

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."{{cite book|title=Indian Administration|last1=Singh|first1=Hoshiar|last2=Singh|first2=Pankaj|publisher=Pearson Education India|year=2011|isbn=978-8131761199|location=Delhi|pages=104–126|edition=1st}}

The Administrative Reforms Commission visualised the role of secretary, primarily as one of a "coordinator, policy guide, reviewer, and evaluator."

File:Government of India hierarchy.svg

A secretary to the Government of India is the administrative head of a ministry or department and is the principal adviser to the minister-in charge on all matters of policy and administration within the ministry or department.

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.
• To act as the chief adviser to the minister on all aspects of policy and administrative affairs.
• To represent the ministry or department before the Public Accounts Committee of the Parliament of India.

The prime minister-led Appointments Committee of the Cabinet is the final authority on posting and transfer of officers of secretary level.{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/PM-to-oversee-cadre-allocation-of-bureaucrats-postings-of-joint-secretaries-and-above/articleshow/40451799.cms|title=PM to oversee cadre allocation of bureaucrats, postings of joint secretaries and above|date=August 21, 2014|work=The Times of India|access-date=September 17, 2017}} Secretaries report to their ministerial cabinet minister and to the prime minister.{{Citation needed|date=May 2019}}

In the Indian government, secretaries are the head of the ministries of the government and hold positions such as Finance Secretary, Defence Secretary, Foreign Secretary, Home Secretary, Chairperson of the Railway Board and members of the Railway Board and Telecom Commission.

According to the report of the Seventh{{Nbsp}}Central Pay Commission of India, seventy-one out of ninety-one secretaries to the Government of India are from the Indian Administrative Service.{{cite web |title=Report of the 7th Central Pay Commission of India |url=http://7cpc.india.gov.in/pdf/sevencpcreport.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120092637/http://7cpc.india.gov.in/pdf/sevencpcreport.pdf |archive-date=20 November 2015 |access-date=August 13, 2017 |publisher=Seventh Central Pay Commission, Government of India |df=dmy-all}}

File:Indian Official Passports Front.svg

All secretaries to the Government of India are eligible for a Diplomatic passport or Official 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 Housing and Urban Affairs' Directorate of Estates.{{cite web|url=http://estates.nic.in/WriteReadData/dlrtiact/compendium.pdf|title=Compendium (RTI Act) – Government Residence (General Pool in Delhi) Rules|date=January 2013|publisher=Directorate of Estates, Ministry of Urban Development They are also eligible for Y+ security i.e of 4 Para commando and 18 Armed Forces.|access-date=21 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113222729/http://estates.nic.in/WriteReadData/dlrtiact/compendium.pdf|archive-date=13 November 2014|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}{{cite news|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/new-homes-for-govt-staff-changing-new-delhi/820172/0|title=New homes for govt staff changing New Delhi|last=Gupta|first=Geeta|date=July 21, 2011|work=Indian Express|access-date=October 6, 2017}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/home-secretary-gives-the-miss-to-fortified-bungalow/article7656529.ece|title=Home Secretary gives the miss to fortified bungalow|last=Singh|first=Vijaita|date=September 16, 2015|website=The Hindu|access-date=October 6, 2017}}

The salary and emolument in this rank is equivalent to chief secretaries of state governments and to Vice Chief of the Army Staff, General Officers Commanding in Chief of Army Commands, and their equivalents, in the Indian Armed Forces, which is to say Level 17 of the Central Pay Matrix.

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.{{cite web|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/lateral-entry-blind-alley/|title=Lateral entry, blind alley|last=Natarajan|first=Gulzar|date=April 13, 2015|work=The Indian Express|language=en|access-date=August 13, 2017}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/analysis/should-the-government-allow-lateral-entry-into-the-civil-services/story-Q75UKek5TPGwCrMreb9G0I.html|title=Should the government allow lateral entry into the civil services?|last=Chandra|first=Shailaja|date=July 15, 2017|work=Hindustan Times|access-date=August 13, 2017|language=en}}{{Cite news|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/the-case-for-lateral-entry-indian-administrative-service-ias-upsc-government-4788115/|title=The case for lateral entry|last1=Natarajan|first1=Gulzar|date=August 9, 2017|work=The Indian Express|access-date=August 13, 2017|last2=Subbarao|first2=Duvvuri|language=en-US}}

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.{{Cite news |last=Tripathi |first=Shishir |date=December 8, 2015 |title=IAS: Emperor among the kings? |url=http://www.governancenow.com/news/regular-story/ias-emperor-the-kings |access-date=August 13, 2017 |work=Governance Now |language=en}}{{Cite news |date=June 30, 2016 |title=Need Pay Parity With IAS Officers, Say Officials Of 20 Civil Services |url=http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/need-pay-parity-with-ias-officers-say-officials-of-20-civil-services-1426279 |access-date=August 13, 2017 |work=NDTV |language=en}}

From 1998 to 1999, Vijay Kelkar served as Finance Secretary as a lateral entry. During the term of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister of India, Ram Vinay Shahi served as Secretary (GOI) in the Ministry of Power from 2002 to 2007 as a lateral entry.{{Cite news|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/centre-government-lateral-entries-joint-secretary-bureaucracy-1295859-2018-07-25|title=Even Manmohan Singh was a lateral entry, says PMO|work=India Today|access-date=July 20, 2024}} The Indian government in 2024 asked the Union Public Service Commission to cancel the recruitment of 45 specialists for senior positions through a lateral entry route.{{Cite web |last=Joy |first=Shemin |date=2024-08-20 |title=Modi govt makes lateral entry U-turn, seeks scrapping of ad for 45 specialists |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/india/lateral-entry-dopt-writes-to-upsc-seeks-cancellation-of-ad-for-45-specialists-3156926 |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=Deccan Herald |language=en}} The Indian government also stated that it aims to introduce a quota system for lateral entries in order to respect social justice, particularly the reservation system in place for public appointments.

• Federal Secretary

{{Reflist}}

{{Refbegin|}}

• {{cite book|title=Governance in India|last=Laxmikanth|first=M.|publisher=McGraw Hill Education|year=2014|isbn=978-9339204785|location=Noida|edition=2nd}}
• {{cite book|title=Indian Administration|last=Maheshwari|first=S.R.|publisher=Orient Blackswan Private Ltd.|year=2000|isbn=9788125019886|location=New Delhi|edition=6th}}
• {{cite book|title=Britain's Imperial Administrators, 1858-1966|last=Kirk-Greene|first=A.|author-link = Anthony Kirk-Greene|publisher=Springer|year=2000|isbn=9780230286320|location=New York City}}
• {{cite book|title=Indian Administration|last1=Singh|first1=Hoshiar|last2=Singh|first2=Pankaj|publisher=Pearson Education India|year=2011|isbn=978-8131761199|location=Delhi|edition=1st}}
• {{Cite book|title=Readings In Indian Railway Finance|last=Verma|first=K.B.|publisher=Mittal Publications|year=1987|isbn=978-8171881215|location=New Delhi}}

{{refend}}

{{Government of India}}

{{Union ministries of India}}

Category:Civil Services of India

Category:Indian government officials

Category:Indian Administrative Service officers

Category:Indian Foreign Service officers