Secretary to the Government of India

Union Secretary
State Emblem of India
Flag of India
Government of India
Member ofCommittee of Secretaries on Administration
Reports to
Seat
AppointerAppointments Committee of the Cabinet
Term lengthNo term length[dead link‍][1][2]
Term extendable
Formation1930; 94 years ago (1930)
Succession23rd (on the Indian order of precedence.)
Salary₹225,000 (US$2,700) monthly[3][4]
This article is part of a series on the
Politics of India
Constitution
Government
Parliament
  • Vacant
  • Utpal Kumar Singh
Law and Judiciary
Elections and Politics
Administrative divisions
Federalism
Foreign Relations
flag India portal

Secretary to the Government of India, often abbreviated as Secretary, GoI, or simply as Secretary, is a post and a rank under the Central Staffing Scheme of the Government of India.[5] The authority for the creation of this post solely rests with the Union Council of Ministers.[6]

The position holder is generally a career civil servant, usually from the Indian Administrative Service,[7][8][9] and a government official of high seniority. The civil servants who hold this rank and post are either from All India Services (on deputation; on tenure, after empanelment) or Central Civil Services (Group A; on empanelment). All promotions and appointments to this rank and post are directly made by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.

In the functioning of the Government of India,[10][11][12] a secretary is the administrative head of a ministry or department,[13][14] and is equivalent to chief secretaries or additional chief secretaries of state governments and Vice Chief of the Army Staff, General Officers Commanding in Chief of Army Commands, and their equivalents in the Indian Armed Forces,[15] In the Department of Military Affairs, the Chief of Defence Staff is currently designated as Secretary (GoI), similarly in the National Security Council Secretariat, the National Security Advisor is currently designated as Secretary (GoI).[16]

Secretaries (GOI) rank 23rd on Order of Precedence of India.[17][18]

  1. ^ "Fixed tenure for defence, home secretaries". Rediff.com. 22 September 2005. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  2. ^ "Fixed tenure for Defence, Home Secretaries". Outlook. 22 September 2005.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference 7 Pay Commission Report was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :India Today 7CPC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "The Central Staffing Scheme" (PDF). Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. January 1996. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  6. ^ "Only Cabinet can create Joint Secretary, above level posts". Press Trust of India. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  7. ^ Tikku, Aloke (15 January 2016). "Parity between IAS and non-IAS? The IAS will get to decide". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  8. ^ "Non-IAS bureaucrats now eligible for secretary-level posts". The Asian Age. 18 January 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  9. ^ Dastidar, Avishek G (14 January 2017). "Alleging bias, non-IAS officers petition PM Modi". The Indian Express. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  10. ^ "Part I of the Constitution of India- The Union and its territory - Article 1" (PDF). Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  11. ^ "Part XIV of the Constitution of India- Finance, Property, Contracts and Suits - Article 300" (PDF). Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  12. ^ "Part XIV of the Constitution of India- Services under the Union and the States - Article 312(2)" (PDF). Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  13. ^ Laxmikanth, M. (2014). Governance in India (2nd ed.). Noida: McGraw Hill Education. pp. 3.1–3.10. ISBN 978-9339204785.
  14. ^ "Central Secretariat Manual of Office Procedure - 14th Edition (2015)" (PDF). Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension. p. 6. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  15. ^ "TGC Entry Advert, 2022" (PDF). Ministry of Defence, Government of India. 24 January 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  16. ^ "Who's Who: Department of Military Affairs". Ministry of Defence (India). Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  17. ^ "Table of Precedence". Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. President's Secretariat. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  18. ^ Maheshwari, S.R. (2000). Indian Administration (6th ed.). New Delhi: Orient Blackswan Private Ltd. ISBN 9788125019886.