Prime Minister's Office

Also called: PMO · Topic: Union Executive: President, Vice-President, Prime Minister and Council of Ministers · NCERT: Beyond NCERT

Meaning

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) is the Prime Minister's own staff office. It was set up in 1947 as the Prime Minister's Secretariat and renamed the PMO in 1977. It is headed by the Principal Secretary to the PM. Its job is to advise the PM and to coordinate work across ministries.

The PMO matters because it shows how much real power sits with the PM. A strong PMO helps the government act fast. Critics say it can also weaken collective responsibility, the rule that all ministers share responsibility for every Cabinet decision.

Explanation

How the PMO works

• It serves the PM personally. It does not serve the Cabinet as a group.
• Head: the Principal Secretary to the PM.
• Main functions:
• Advice: gives the PM policy advice.
• Coordination: coordinates work across ministries for the PM.
• Outside links: handles the PM's dealings with Parliament, the states and the public.

Origin and name

• 1947: set up as the Prime Minister's Secretariat.
• 1977: renamed the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
• Exam point: the office is older than its name. The office dates from 1947, but the name "PMO" dates only from 1977.

Where the PMO fits in the machinery of government

• The PM sits at the centre of several bodies:
• Cabinet committees: most are chaired by the PM.
• Cabinet Secretariat: works directly under the PM.

• PMO: the PM's own advisory office.

• The PMO and the Cabinet Secretariat do different jobs:

• The PMO gives policy advice and handles political coordination for the PM.
• The Cabinet Secretariat serves the whole Cabinet. It prepares agendas, keeps records, monitors decisions and looks after the Rules of Business.

Limits and critique

• Cabinet collegiality is weakened:
• Collegiality means ministers deciding together as equals.
• When decisions are centred in the PMO, ministers can be sidelined.

• Ministers may end up only carrying out decisions the PMO has already taken.

• The kitchen cabinet:

• The kitchen cabinet is an informal inner circle of trusted advisers around the PM.
• A powerful PMO is closely linked to this idea, because real decisions move to a small group around the PM.

In the Constitution and practice

• No mention in the Constitution: the Constitution does not mention the PMO. The office exists because the government needs it to work.
• Its legal setting:
• Art. 74: the President acts on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers, which is headed by the PM. Real executive power therefore lies with the PM and ministers.
• Art. 75(3): the Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha. The PMO debate is mainly about this clause.
• Art. 77(1): all executive action (government work, as opposed to law-making or court work) is taken in the name of the President [2].
• Art. 77(3): the President makes rules for the smooth running of government business and divides that business among ministers [2].

• Rules of Business (1961): these are the Allocation of Business Rules and the Transaction of Business Rules. They set out the powers of each ministry, the Cabinet, its committees and the PM [3].

• The PM's central role in practice:

• Rule 12 of the Transaction of Business Rules lets the PM depart from the normal rules in cases of urgency. The Cabinet then gives ex post facto approval (approval after the action has already been taken).
• Maharashtra, 23 November 2019: President's rule (when the Centre runs a state directly because its government cannot function under the Constitution) was revoked early in the morning without a Cabinet meeting.
• Jammu and Kashmir, 2019: some orders under the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019 were first approved under Rule 12. The Cabinet approved them later [4].

• Together with a strong PMO, these examples show decision-making centred on the PM.

• Small, PM-led committees:

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has only the PM and the Home Minister (2019: PM and Amit Shah) [1].
• This adds to the PM's control over senior appointments.

Don't confuse with

• Cabinet Secretariat: it serves the Cabinet as a whole and is headed by the Cabinet Secretary, the post created in 1950. The PMO serves the PM personally and is headed by the Principal Secretary.
• Cabinet Secretary: the senior-most civil servant, who chairs the Committee of Secretaries. The Cabinet Secretary does not head the PMO.
• Kitchen cabinet: an informal inner circle of trusted advisers. The PMO is a formal government office with its own staff.
• Cabinet committees (e.g. CCPA, the "super cabinet"): these are groups of ministers set up under the Transaction of Business Rules. The PMO is a body of officials who advise the PM.

Prelims Hooks

• The PMO began in 1947 as the Prime Minister's Secretariat. It was renamed the PMO in 1977.
• Head of the PMO = Principal Secretary to the PM. Head of the Cabinet Secretariat = Cabinet Secretary.
• The Cabinet Secretary, not the Principal Secretary, is the senior-most civil servant and chairs the Committee of Secretaries.
• Serves whom? The PMO serves the PM personally. The Cabinet Secretariat serves the Cabinet collectively.
• The Rules of Business are made by the President under Art. 77(3), not by the PM or the PMO.
• Rule 12 of the Transaction of Business Rules, 1961 lets the PM act first in urgent cases, with ex post facto Cabinet approval later. Example: Maharashtra, 23 November 2019.

Mains Points

• Collective vs centralised executive:
• A powerful PMO, Rule 12 and small committees such as the CCPA and ACC allow fast, decisive action.

• But they can weaken collective responsibility under Art. 75(3). The full Cabinet may only approve decisions after they have been taken, as in the 2019 Maharashtra revocation.

• PM's advice vs ministerial accountability:

• Ministers answer to Parliament for their departments.
• If real decisions are taken in the PMO, ministers become implementers, and it becomes unclear who is responsible.

• Balance: the PMO should coordinate and advise, while ministries and the Cabinet keep their decision-making role.

• Coordination: PMO vs Cabinet Secretariat:

• A large government with many ministries needs a central "glue."
• The Cabinet Secretariat and the Committee of Secretaries do this collectively. The PMO does it for the PM politically.
• Clear roles for each help avoid overlap and keep the Cabinet system working as a group.

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
• Cabinet Secretariat

Read more

• The machinery of government: Rules of Business, cabinet committees, PMO, Cabinet Secretariat and the permanent executive