UNIT

7 CENTRAL SECRETARIAT:

ORGANISATION AND FUNCTIONS

Structure

7.0 Objectives

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Evolution of Central Secretariat

7.2.1 Mean~ng

7.2 2 Role

7.3 Functions of Central Secretariat

7.4 Structure of Secretariat

7.4.1 DepartmentlMln~stt-y

7.5 Functions of Different Grades of Officers of the Secretariat

7.6 Tenure System

7.7 Executive Agencies

7.7.1 Meaning

7.7.2 Classification

7.7.3 Relat~on Between Executive Agencies and the Secretariat

7.8 Subordinate Offices

7.9 Let Us Sum Up

7.10 Key Words

7.1 1 References and Further Readings

7.12 Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises

7.0 OBJECTIVES

-

After studying this Unit you should be able to:

Explain the meaning, role and functions of the Central Secretariat;

Describe the structure and functions of different grades of officers of the

SCcretariat;

Explain the significance of the tenure system;

Explain the meaning and classification of Executive Agencies; and

Describe the relation between Executive Agencies and the Secretariat.

7.1 INTRODUCTION

The Central Secretariat stands for the complex of departments or ministries

whose administrative heads are designated as Secretaries and whose political

heads are ministers. In this Unit, we shall briefly trace the evolution of the

Secretariat, and describe its structure and hnctions. The tenure system, and the

staffing of the Secretariat will also be discussed. Under the Secretariat there is a

network of agencies which are responsible for the execution of the government

policies. The relation between these agencies and the Secretariat will also be

explained in this Unit.

7.2 EVOLUTION OF CENTRAL SECRETARIAT

'

To begin with, the Secretariat in India referred to the office of the Governor

Gei~eral in British India. However, the size of the Central Secretariat and the scope

of its activities have undergone considerable change over the last hvo hundred

years of its evolution in keeping with the changes in the aims, objectives and

nature of the central government in India.

At the end of the eighteenth century the ce~tral government consisted of a

Governor General and three Councillors, and the Secretariat of four departments.

Each of them was under a Secretary, and there was a Chief Secretary heading

them all. A hundred years later, on the eve of the Montford Reforms in 1919, the

Government of India consisted of a Governor General and seven members and

there were nine secretarial departments. This number remained the same till the

outbreak of the Second World War in 1939.

Prior to 191 9, the Central Government, while administering certain subjects

directly like the army, posts and telegraphs and railways, had by and large left

the task of implementation of other subjects to the local provincial governments.

A major change came in the above position with the inauguration of the reforms

of 1919 which for the first time, made a division of functions between the

Central and provincial governments. Both the Central and provincial

governments became responsible for both policy and administration. As a result,

the role of the secretariat began to change from a merely policy-formulating,

supervising and coordinating agency to that of an executive agency as well. The

inauguration of provincial autonomy in 1937 and the outbreak of the Second

World War accelerated the above process. In consequence, there was a four fold

increase of the Central Secretariat and its total strength rose to about two

hundred.

The Government of India was still struggling with the post-war problems of

demobilisation and reconstruction, when Independence came, accompanied by

the partition of the country. At its very inception, therefore, the new government

found itself faced with tremendous problems like rehabilitation of refugees from

Pakistan, external aggression in Jammu and Kashmir, integration of princely

states into the Indian Union, internal security,.shortage of essential articles, at a

time when there occurred serious shortage of personnel due to the British

Officers returning home and many Muslim officers opting for Pakistan. Soon

after, the adoption of the goal of a welfare state made unprecedented demands on

the already over burdened administrative machinery. At the same time, the

Industrial Policy Resolution of 1948 started the process of a vast expansion of

the public sector.,The inev~table consequence of such a vast expansion, in the

functions and responsibilities of the government was a marked increase in the

number of departments, and personnel. Thus, the number of departments in the

secretariat, which stood at four in 1858. (9 in 19 19, 10 in 1939,

18 in 1947) had

risen to 74

by 1994. Correspondingly has also multiplied.

7.2.1 Meaning

The Central Secretariat occupies a key position in Indian administration. The

Secretariat refers to the conglomeration of various ministries/departments of the

central government. The Secretariat works as a single unit with cpIlective

responsibility as in the case of the Council of Ministers. Under existing rules, each

secretariat department is required to consult any other department that may be

interested or concerned before disposing of a case. Secretaries, thus, are secretaries

to the Government as a whole and not to any particular minister.

7.2.2 Role

The Secretariat assists the ministers in the formulation of governmental policies.

Ministers finalise policies on the basis of adequate data, precedents and other

relevant information. The Secretarial makes these available to the minister, thus,

enabling him to fornulate policies. Secondly, the Secretariat assists the ministers

in their legislative work too. The Secretariat prepares legislative drafts to be

introduced in the legislature. It engages In the collection of relevant information

for answering parliamentary questions. and, also, for various parliamentary

committees. Fourthly. it carries out a detailed scrutiny of a pioblem bringing an

overall comprehensive biewpoint on

it., getting approval, if required, of other

i

lateral agencies like the Ministry of Lab and the Ministry of Finance; and also,

consulting. other organisations concerned with a particular matter. The

i

C o r r o t ~ v i g t i e the rle3r;nn h n l l u ~ nr~l;m~nor\, i n nnl irrnmont-1 A e r i c i n n r F i C t h l x r it

Central Secretariat:

Organisation and

F~rnctions

Central Administration

functions as the main channel of communication between the ~overnment and

other concerned agendies like the Planning Commission, Finance Commission,

etc. And lastly, the Secretariat also ensures that field offices execute, with

efficiency and economy, the policies and decisions of the Government.

7.3,:

FUNCTIONS OF CENTRAL SECRETARIAT

The Central Secretanat system

in India is based on two phnciples:

1) The task of pblicy formulation needs to be separated fiom policy

implementation.

2) Maintaining Cadre of Officers operating on the tenure system is a

prerequisite to the working of the Secretariat system.

The Central Secretariat is a policy making body of the government and is not,ko

undertake work of execution, unless necessitated by the lack of official agencies to

perform certain tasks. The Central Secretariat normally performs the folkwing

functions:

1)

Assisting the minister in the discharge of his policy making and

parliamentary functions.

2) Framing legislation, rules and principles of procedure.

3)

Sectoral planning and programme formulation.

4)

a) Budgeting and control of expenditure in respect of activities of the

ministryldepartment.

b) Securing administrative and finaocial approval to operational

programme and their subsequent modifications.

c) Supervisian and control over the execution of policies and

programmes by the executive departments or semi-autonomous field

xncies.

d) ~luuatlng steps to develop greater personnel and organisational

competenae

h ~ t h in the ministry/department and its execgtive

agencies.

e) Assisting in increasing coordination at the Central level.

Cbek Yoar Progress.

1

Note: i)

Use the ~ ~ a c e ' ~ i v e n below for your answers.

ii) Check your answers with thoc; given at the end of the Unit.

1)

What are the role and objectives of the Central Secretariat?

2) What are the, functions generally performed by the Central Secretariat?

7.4 STRUCTURE OF SECRETARIAT

The Central Secretariat is a collection of various ministries and department.

A

ministry is responsible for the formulation of the policy of government within its

sphere of responsibility as well

as for the execution and re\ iew of that policy. A

ministry, for the purpose of internal organisation, is divided into the following sub-

groups with an officer in charge of each of them.

5

Department

- SecretaryIAdditionallSpecial Secretary

Wing

- AdditionalIJoint Secretary

Division

- Deputy Secretary

Branch

- Under Secretary

Section

- Section Officer

The lowest of these units is the section in charge of a Section Officer and consSsts

of a number of assistants, clerks, typists and peons. It deals with the work relating

to the subject allotted to it. It is also referred to

as the office. Two sections

constitute the branch which is under the chqge of

an under secretary, also known

as the branch officer. Two branches ordinarily form a division which is normally

headed by a deputy secretary. 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. At the top of

the hierarchy comes the department

which is headed by the secretary himself or in some cases by

an additionalkpecial

secretary. In some cases, a department may be

as autonomous as a ministry and

equivalent to it in rank.

7.4.1

DepartmentlMinistry

The distinction between 'department' and 'ministry' may be explained by

referring to 'ministry' as the minister's charge and 'department

as the secretary's

charge. Although a ministry stands for the minister's charge, its administrative

divisions are not uniform. A ministry may not have a department: or may have

one or more than one department in which it is formally divid

. , '

While a department may be referred to as the secretary's charge, all secretaries,

although they get the same salary, are not necessarily of equal

'rank'. A Ministry

may have two or more secretaries, each in charge of a specified segment of the

Ministry's work, or of a department in it, but there is, in addition, one ~ e c r e ~

who is head of, and represents, the entire ministry. Although all of them are

secretaries, the former are subordinate to the latter who, in addition to his own

work, coordinates the work of these secretaries of departments/segments

of wnrlr

within the ministry.

7.5

FUNCTIONS OF DIFFERENT GRADES OF

OFFICERS OF THE SECRETARIAT

At present the grades of officers it1 the Central Secretariat

are as follows:

1)

Secretary

2)

Additional Secretary

3) Joint Secretary

4)

Deputy Secretary

5)

Under Secretary

The first three grades constitute what is administrative parlance may be called 'Top

Management' while the grades of deputy secretary and under secretary, are

referred to as the 'Middle Management'. The Secretary is the administrative head

of the ministryldepartment and the principal adviser to the Minister. He represents

his ministryldepartment before the committees of Parliament.

Central Secretariat:

Organisation and

Functions

Central Administration

He is supposed to keep himself fully informed of the work of his

ministry/department by demanding weekly summaries on the nature of cases

disposed of by lower levels and the manner of their disposal.

Where the charge of a Secretary is too large, he may be assisted by a joint or

additional secretary who formally functions as Secretary in relation to the subject

allotted to him in the ministryldepartment. The function of the latter is to relieve

the Secretary of a bloc of work and to deal, where necessary, direct with the

minister. The Secretary, however, is invariably kept informed on all these direct

.

dealings with the minister, for he is not formally relieved of his responsibility as

head of the ministryldepartment.

The deputy secretary is an officer who, as his designation implies, acts on behalf of

the Secretary. He should dispose of as many cases

as possible on his own. Only on

more important cases he should

- in fact must - seek the Secretary's instruction

either by refening to him in writing or discussing with him orally.

The under secretary should dispose of minor cases on his own. He should submit

more important matters to the deputy secretary in such a form that the latter is able

to deal with them quickly.

It must be stressed here that the functionaries at these different levels are supposed

to perform their functions, keeping in mind the interests of the Government of

India as a whole. The Secretary, in other words, is the Secretary to the Government

of India, not to his minister alone. This is true of lower levels as well.

7.6 TENURE SYSTEM

- -

The system of filling senior posts in the Secretariat by officers who come from the

States (or from the Central Services) for a particular period and who after serving

their tenure, revert back to their parent States or services is known as the tenure

system. It has been a principle of Secretariat staffing since 1905 and continued by

the Government of India, even after Independence. The reasons for the

continuance of the system may be summed up

as follows:

1)

A joint pool of officers at the reserve of both the centre and the states helps

in administrative coordination at the centre and state level and exercises a

unifying influence on the functioning of our federal policy.

2) The Central Secretariat benefits from the administrative experience of a

number of bureaucrats who have first hand work experience at the district

and state levels.

3)

A prolonged stay in the Secretariat may get senior bureaucrats out of touch

with actual administrative reality at the field level. The tenure system

enables them to get a constant feedback from the field and from the general

public.

4)

The states also benefit from having at their service senior experienced

officers with a wide national perspective on all problems.

5 )

Under the tenure system most officers are promised a chance of work at the

Secretariat thus equalising opportunities for all.

6)

It strengthens the independence of the civil service. It is a check against the

possible dangers of subservience by a few to the political masters for narrow

personal gains.

Though the tenure system is still in operation many arguments have been put forth

against it. They may be briefly sumrnarised as below:

1) Bureaucratic work in the Secretariats is gradually becoming specialised. The

tenure system is essentially based on the myth of the superior efficiency of

the generalist civil servants.

2) District experience is really not necessary in many areas of Secretariat work.

3)

The tenure system has led to the bureaucrats getting too dependent on the

office establishment to get things done. This had led to 'over

. .

bureaucratisation' of the Secretariat.

The tenure system, however, was never prevalent in all the departments of the

Government of India. Foreign Affairs, Indian Audit and Accounts, Post and

.

Telegraphs, Customs and Income Tax Departments had been the Well-known

exceptions even during the British-peridd. The creation of the Central Secretariat

service has, thrown a new challenge to this piactice (even in depa&ents where

tenure system officially operates). The specialists whose numbers are increasing in

the Secretariat are also not subject to rotation t2areas away frcfrfi the Secretariat.

The creation in 1957 of the Central Administrative'Pool has also made a significant

.

1

impact on the system. This 'Pool' was established by the selection of officers from

I

the Indian AdministrativeServices. There are two categories of posts in it - general

purpose and specialised. The 'Pool' system was meant to overcome the

uncertainties in the matters of quality and quantity inherent in the tenure system.

Finally, despite the tenure system, there are numerous officers in the Secretariat

who have never goneback to their parent State. Therefore, the original intention of

the tenure system does not necessarily hold good in the changed conditions today.

Check

Your Progress 2

Note:

i) Use the space given below for your answers.

ii) Check your answers with those given at the end of the Unit.

I )

What are the functions of the Joint Secretary and the Under Secretary, in the

Government of India?

2)

What are the"disadvantages of the tenure system?

--

7.7 EXECUTIVE AGENCIES

All over the country, there are various types of administrative agencies which are

meant to carry out the policies of the government

as decided upon in the

secretariat. Such agencies are called executive agencies and can be grouped into

various categories

as discussed below..

7.7.1 Meaning

Under the Secretariat there are a network of agenkies which are responsible for the

execution of the government policies. With the steady expansion in, and increasing

complexity of, the governmental functions, the executive agencies have been

variously organised to suit the requirements of the job.

I

Central Secretariat:

Organisation and

Functions

Central Administration

7.7.2 Classification

The executive agencies may be classified into the following types:

1) An attached office (e.g., The Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New

Delhi)

2) Subordinate office (e.g., Inspectorate of Explosives, Nagpur)

3)

Departmental undertaking (e.g., Ordinance ~adories)

4) A company registered under the ~ompanie:~ Act (e.g., Hindustan Steel

Limited)

5 )

A Corporation or Board set up under a special statute (e.g., ONGC, Tea

Board, etc.)

6 )

A society registered under the Societies Registration Act (e.g., Institute of

Foreign Trade)

There are also instances of executive agencies hnctioning as an integral part of the

ministry itself (e.g., Directorate of Exhibition in the Ministry of Commerce). These

are, however, exceptlions.

7.7.3

Relation between Executive Agencies and the Secretariat

The existence of Secretariat as an entity separate from the executive agencies is

based on the belief that the task of policy-making needs to be separated from that

of its execution. Development administration must necessarily move towards

decentralisation which means that effective power and authority must be possessed

by the executive agencies. Though the number of executive agencies have steadily

risen over the years there has not been an increase in their power corresponding to

their responsibilities. It is common knowledge that the Secretariat performs a lot of

polic): execking tasks of an original nature which cgyld readily be passed on to the

executive agencies. However, what need to be noted is that the relations between

the Central Secretariat and the executive agencies have been quite strained and

tension-ridden instead of gradually becoming cooperative and amiable.

There are six principal patterns of relationship developed at the Central level,

between the secretariat and the executive agencies. These may briefly be

discussed here:

1) There is complete merger between the ministry and heads of executive

departments. The examples are the Railway Board and the Ministry of

Railways, the Posts and Telegraphs Board and the Ministry of

Communications. This pattern is most suitable for organisation undertaking

work of an operational or commercial nature.

2) In the second pattern, a senior officer of the ministry concurrently operates

as

head of the executing department. In this way he becomes responsible

both for formulation of policies and for its implementation with the

assistance of the common ofice located in the Ministry. The Additional

Secretary in the Department of Agriculture is the Director-General of Food.

But the main disadvantage of this pattern is that the system completely blurs

the functions of the Secretariat and the head of an executive department.

3)

The ministry's Ofice is merged in the office of the executive department.

The common office serves both the Secretariat offices and the officers of the

executive office.

The advantages of this arrangement are that any administrative proposal is

examined only once, thus, expediting the disposal of cases, and, secondly it

results in sizeable economy

- office maintenance becomes more economical.

4) The ministry and the executive department continues to have separate

officers but have common files and common file bureau, all located in the

organisation of the executive agency. This pattern has significant advantages

but it does not do away with the problems of separate offices with duplicate

staff and double scrutiny. A good example is the Ministry of Defence and

the Air Force Headquarters.

5 )

The ministry and the executive depaiiments continue to have separate offices

and separate files but the head of the Executive Office is given an ex-officio

Secretariat status. Thus, the Textile Commissioner is the ex-officio Joint

Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce.

This pattern has the following advantages:

Under this arrangement, there is considerable saving of time as well as the

i

paper work, as every matter does not travel up to the Secretariat for

finalisation. Also, the accepted policy is implemented in a more efficient

manner, as the head of the office, because of his secretariat status is fully

aware of the background in which the policy was framed.

Its major drawback, however, is that it goes against the fundamentar

principle of secretariat system, namely, policy-making must remain

separated from policy implementation.

6 )

Both the Ministry and the executive agency have separate and distinct

offices and files of their own, and consultation between them occurs through

self-contained letters. This is the standard pattern both at the Centre and in

the States. This pattern is based on the dichotomy between staff and line.

The mqnistry is Staff: the executive office is Line.

An example is the DirectorateGeneral of All India Radio in relation to the

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

In other words, in this pattern, a wider perspective is brought to bear on the

examination of a proposal. Secondly, it is always desirable to have a specialist's

scheme scrutinised by

a layman. Thirdly, this arrangement provides for a division

of work between the Secretariat and the executive agencies. The former

concentrates on policy-making and the latter on the execution of the policy. The

disadvantages of this arrangement is that, this scheme is processed twice in two

different offices. This involves duplication of work and cause delay.

Each pattern has thus advantages as well as disadvantage. No hard and fast rules

can be laid down regarding the pattern of relationship which could be appropriate

to a particular sphere of governmental activity. The pattern has to be so tailored

as to suit the nature of activities or the past experience of the organisation.

Nevertheless, neither absolute separation nor absolute merger ofboth is normally

desirable.

7.8 SUBORDINATE OFFICES

A Subordinate Office functions as the field establishment or as the agency

responsible for the detailed execution of the decisions taken by the Government. A

Subordinate Office normalIy functions under an Attached Office. But where there

is no Attached Office under a ministry, it operates directly under the ministry. The

criteria of classifying a certain organisation as the Attached Office and another one

as the Subordinate Office are neither well defined nor consistently followed.

Although it is the Subordinate Office, which is responsible for the execution of the

policy or decisions of the Government, it has.been accorded a distinctly inferior

status, as is indicated by the label, 'Subordinate'. The pay scales of personnel in

the Subordinate Offices are the lowest; and their future prospects are not bright.

The employees in these offices very often do the same type of work and possess

the same qualification as the Secretariat personnel. Despite that, the Subordinate

Offices continue to be accorded an unreasonably lower status.

Central Secretariat:

Organisation and

Functions

Central ~dminisbation

Check Your Progress 3

Note: i) Use the space given below for your answers.

ii) Check your answers with those given at the end of the Unit.

I) What are Subordinate Offices?

2 )

Explain the relationship between the executive agencies and the Secretariat.

.-------------------4---.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7.9

LET

US SUM UP

In this Unit you have read about:

The

evolution of the Central Secretariat.

Its meaning, role and functions:

The structure and functions of different grades of ofices at the Secretariat.

The tenure system.

The

meaning and classification of executive agencies.

The relation between executive agencies and the Secretariat.

Amiable

: Agreeable

Precedents

: Standard

Sectoral Planning

: Under sectoral planning, specific sectors are kept in

mind while planning, e.g., planning for agricultural

sector, industrial sector.

Subservience

: Serving as a means to an end.

7.1

1 REFERENCES AND FURTmR READINGS

Avasthi,

A., 1980, Central Administration;Tata McGraw. Hill, New Delhi

Chanda, AshoF, 1967,

Indian Administration; Allen and Unwin, London

.

Khera, S.S., 1975, The Central Executive; Orient Longmarl, New Delhi

Maheshwari, S.R., 1986,

Indian Administration; Orient Longman, New Delhi

'

Misra, B.B., 1986, Government and Bureaucracy in India 1947- 76; Oxford

University Press, Delhi

7.12

ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS Central Secretariat:

Organisation and

EXERCISES

Functions

Check Your Progress

1

1) Your answer must include the following points:

Meaning of Central Secretariat

Evolution of Central Secretariat

Role at the time of independence

Role after the independence

2) Your answer must include the following points:

Assistance to Ministers

Framing Legislation

Control of expenditure with respect to departmental activities

Supervision and control over executive departments

3)

Your answer must include the following points:

Executive is a part of Legislature.

Executive is responsible to the Legislature.

Check Your Progress 2

1) Your answer must include the following points:

Five grades of officers in the Central Secretariat

Role of the Joint Secretary

Role of the Under Secretary

2) Your answer must include the foltowing points:

Meaning of tenure system

Reasons for its continuance

Disadvantages of the tenure system

Check Your Progress 3

1) Your answer must include the following points:

Meaning of subordinate offices

Types of ~ubordin~te' offices

Role of subordinate offices

2) Your answer must indlude the following points:

Six principal patterns of relationship

Advantages and disadvantages of each pattern.