(Online Course) Public Administration for IAS Mains Exams
Topic: State Government and Administration: Directorates
The secretariat is concerned with setting the boarder polices and goals of the State Government while the responsibility for achieving those policies and executing those policies rests with the heads of the executive departments. The executive agencies are as a rule of located outside the secretariat and constitute distinct organisational entities.
Nomenclature
A popular label to identity an executive agency of ‘Directorate’ Many examples of this could be cited—Director of Agriculture, director of Animal Husbandry, Director of College Education, Director of Social Welfare and so on. However, other nomenclatures are also used to refer to the head of the executive departments. Thus, the executive head of the department of police is known as Director General of Police; that of the jail department, the Inspector General of Jails; that of the forest department, the Chief Conservator of Forests; that of the cooperative department, the Register of Cooperative Societies; that of the sale-tax; that of the public works department, the Chief Engineer; that of the printing and stationery department, the Controller and so forth. In other words, although in a large number of cases the head of the executive department are called directors, they are also known by other names.
Organisation
Apart from state level, the executive agencies also function at the substantial levels. When this is done, lesser directorates emerge at the regional level. When this process goes further down the line, the district, block and village level field agencies of a directorate emerge. Through the creation of field agencies, the administration is able to reach the doorsteps of the people its serves.
At the state level, the headship would normally be with a ‘full’ director who would be assisted by additional directors, joint directors, deputy directors assistant directors and other functionaries. The regional level set up of an executive department would usually be headed by an officer of a lower rank, a senior joint director/joint or even with lower rank. Many district level officers of the executive departments are headed by deputy or even assistant directors.