Cabinet Secretariat
Topic: Union Executive: President, Vice-President, Prime Minister and Council of Ministers · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Cabinet Secretariat is the office that runs the Cabinet's work. It works under the Prime Minister and is headed by the Cabinet Secretary, the senior-most civil servant in the country. The post was created in 1950. The Secretariat prepares and services the meetings of the Cabinet and its committees. It also coordinates the work of the different ministries, so that the government acts as one.
Example
When a policy needs several ministries to agree, for example the Home, Finance and Defence ministries, the Cabinet Secretary brings their secretaries together to coordinate before the matter goes to the Cabinet or a cabinet committee.
Don't confuse with
- Prime Minister's Office (PMO): the PMO was set up in 1947 as the PM's Secretariat and renamed in 1977. It is headed by the Principal Secretary and serves the PM directly. The Cabinet Secretariat serves the Cabinet as a whole and coordinates ministries.
Related concepts
- Rules of Business
- Cabinet committees
- Appointments Committee of the Cabinet
- Cabinet Committee on Security
- Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
- Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs
- Group of Ministers
- Prime Minister's Office