(Online Course) Public Administration for IAS Mains Exams
Topic: Union Government and Administration: Cabinet Secretariat
Evolution
Before independence, the executive council of the Governor-General was responsible for all government functions. As the amount and complexity of business of the Government increased, the work of the various Departments was distributed amongst the members of the Council-only the more important cases being dealt with by the Governor-General or the Council collectively. This procedure was legalised by the Councils Act of 1861 during the time of Lord Canning, leading to the introduction of the portfolio system and the inception of the Executive Council of the Governor-General.
The Secretariat of the Executive Council was headed by the private Secretary to the Viceroy, but he did not attend the Council meetings. Lord Willington first started the practice of having his Private Secretary by his side at these meetings. Later, this practice continued and in November 1935, the Viceroy’s Private Secretary was given the additional designation of Secretary to the Executive Council.
The constitution of the Interim Government brought a change in the name, though little in functions of this office in September 1946. The Executive Council’s Secretariat was then designated as the Cabinet Secretariat. It seems, however, at least in retrospect, that Independence brought a sort of change in the functions of the Cabinet Secretariat. It no longer remained concerned with only the passive work of circulating papers to Ministers and Ministries but developed into an organization for effecting coordination between the Ministries.
An Economic Committee of the Cabinet was set up in February 1949 with a view to speedily considering the proposals in the economic field. The Secretariat of this Committee was located in the Ministry of Finance till June 1950, when it was made a part of the Cabinet Secretariat and was designated as the Economic Wing. Later to ensure better coordination and to avoid unnecessary duplication in the secretariat functions, this Wing was merged with the main Secretariat in October 1955.
In 1954, the Organisation and Methods Division was established and placed under the Cabinet Secretariat. In May 1964, the O&M Division was transferred from the Cabinet Secretariat to the Ministry of Home Affairs and is presently in the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension.
In 1957, a significant addition to the scope of the Cabinet Secretariat’s functions took place with the constitution of a Defence Committee of the Cabinet. A separate wing called the Military Wing was established in the Cabinet Secretariat for providing secretariat assistance to the Committee. The officers for this Wing are drawn from the Defence Services. The Military Wing has been transferred to the Ministry of Defence with effect from. 1st July, 1991.
In April 1961, the Department of Statistics was created as a part of the Cabinet Secretariat and was transferred to the Ministry of Planning in February 1973. The Ministry of Planning has been renamed ‘Ministry of Planning and Programme Implementation’ since July 1991.
Department of Special Economic Coordination was set up under Cabinet Secretariat on 16th June 1962 and it was transferred to the then Ministry of Economic Defence Coordination on 14th November, 1962. Presently no such department exists in the Government of India. In July 1965, the Intelligence Wing was set up as a part of the Cabinet Secretariat, to provide secretariat assistance to the Joint Intelligence Committee.