Cabinet Secretariat

Syllabus: GS2/Governance 

In News

• The Cabinet Secretariat declined to act on complaints by two Election Commissioners against an IAS officer, citing the ECI’s constitutional independence.

What is the Cabinet Secretariat?

• The Cabinet Secretariat is the office that helps the Union Cabinet work. It does the paperwork, sets the agenda, records decisions and follows up on them. 
• It works directly under the Prime Minister. Its administrative head is the Cabinet Secretary.
• It is not mentioned in the Constitution. It runs on the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961, where it appears in the First Schedule as a department of the Government.

Origin & Evolution 

• Before the portfolio system, the business of government was performed collectively by the Governor-General in Council. 
• In pre-Independence, traces roots to the Executive Council of the Governor-General following the Indian Councils Act, 1861, where Lord Willingdon institutionalised secretarial attendance in meetings.
• In September 1946, the Secretariat was renamed Cabinet Secretariat after the creation of the Interim Government. 
• After Independence, it became an important forum for inter-ministerial cooperation and collaborative decision-making. 
• It was formally created in independent India in 1950 with N. R. Pillai as its first Cabinet Secretary.
• A separate Intelligence Wing was added in 1965. R&AW was set up in 1968 as a wing of the Cabinet Secretariat.

Structure

The Secretariat has three wings:

• Civil Wing: It is the main wing and assists the Cabinet and its committees and looks after the business rules.
• Military Wing: Helps coordinate defence matters and gives secretarial support to defence-related bodies.
• Intelligence Wing: Deals with the Joint Intelligence Committee. The JIC’s role was later merged with the National Security Council (set up in 1999).

Functions of Cabinet Secretariat

• Secretarial help to the Cabinet: Convening meetings on the PM’s orders, preparing and circulating the agenda and papers, recording discussions, and circulating the record after the PM approves it. It is also the custodian of Cabinet papers.
• Monitoring: Tracking whether Cabinet decisions are actually implemented.
• Administering the business rules: Making sure ministries follow the AoB and ToB Rules.
• Inter-ministerial coordination: Differences between ministries are sorted out through Committees of Secretaries (CoS), chaired by the Cabinet Secretary. Their decisions are unanimous.
• Crisis management: Coordinating ministries during major crises. The Cabinet Secretary chairs the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC).

The Cabinet Secretary

• The Cabinet Secretary is the administrative head of the Cabinet Secretariat. 
• They are also the senior-most officer of the Indian Administrative Service—the highest position an IAS officer can hold while in service.
• They are ranked 11th in the order of precedence and function under the Prime Minister.
• His Tenure is fixed at two years. Under the All India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958, extensions are allowed up to a total of four years. A 2019 amendment added a possible three more months in public interest. 
• The Cabinet Secretary also chairs the Conference of Chief Secretaries of States.
• He is also the ex-officio Chairman of the Civil Services Board. 
• They monitor major Cabinet decisions and provide an administrative link to key departments under the Prime Minister’s portfolio, including administrative reforms and parliamentary affairs.

Issues and criticism

• Neutrality and tenure: Repeated extensions to the Cabinet Secretary, including by relaxing rules, can raise doubts about the independence of the post.
• Overlap of roles: The Cabinet Secretariat, the PMO and the NSCS often work on similar questions, which can blur responsibility.
• Concentration of power: A strong coordinating office near the PM can pull decisions away from line ministries.

Source: IE