Additional secretary to the Government of India

Additional Secretary (often abbreviated as AS, GoI or Union Additional Secretary or Additional Secretary to Government of India) is a post and a rank under the Central Staffing Scheme of the Government of India.[1] The authority for creation of this post solely rests with Cabinet of India.[2]

Additional secretary is an ex-cadre post, that means anyone can occupy it, but the position holder is mostly a career civil servant, generally from the Indian Administrative Service,[3][4][5] and is a government official of high seniority. The civil servants who hold this rank are either from All India Services (on deputation; on tenure, after empanelment) or Central Civil Services (Group A; on empanelment). All promotions and appointments to this rank and post are directly made by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.

In the functioning of Government of India, an additional secretary is the administrative head of a wing in a department.[6] Additional secretaries — on deputation — can senior positions at the United Nations, like as India's permanent representative to UNESCO.[7]

The post is somewhat analogous to a principal secretary in a state government. But because of seniority, office-bearers can hold senior positions like as that of additional chief secretary to a state government, and in Union Territories, they can hold the position of Chief Secretary of a UT government.

Additional secretaries in the Union Government[8][9][10] is somewhat analogous to lieutenant general (Level 15/HAG)[11] and equivalent ranks[12] in Indian Armed Forces, but the rank of lieutenant general is placed above on the order of precedence.[13][14][15][16]

Additional secretaries rank 25th on Order of Precedence of India[13][14][15][16]

History

Sir Richard Tottenham, ICS had once expressed "In my opinion there is, or should be, no distinction of function, but only of pay between a joint and an additional secretary. Additional and joint secretaries should not be either cheap secretaries or expensive deputy secretaries."[17]

Powers, responsibilities and postings
The organizational structure of a department of the Government of India.

Additional secretary is the overall in charge with the necessary measure of independent functioning and responsibility of the wing of the department allocated and entrusted to him.[18] An additional secretary in charge of administration also exercises all administrative powers as head of the department wing of the ministry/department.[19]

Additional secretaries and joint secretaries are responsible for filing all affidavits and responses before the Supreme Court of India.[20][21]

The Prime Minister of India is the final authority on posting and transfer of officers of additional secretary level.[22] Additional secretaries report to their departmental secretary and ministerial/departmental cabinet minister.

Position

In the Union government, the members head department wings in the departments and ministries of Union Government.[19]

Government nominated Board members in the Central Public Sector Enterprises/Public Sector Undertakings are either of the rank of additional secretary or joint secretary.[23]

According to the Seventh Central Pay Commission of India, IAS officers hold 98 out of 107 positions of additional secretary in the Government of India.

Emolument, accommodation and perks
An Indian Diplomatic Passport and an Official Passport generally issued to Additional Secretary (GOI).

All additional secretaries to Government of India are eligible for a diplomatic passport. They are allotted Type-V (D-II and D-I) and Type-VI (C-II) apartments in areas like New Moti Bagh across Delhi by the Ministry of Urban Development (Directorate of Estates).[24]

The salary and emolument in this rank is equivalent[12] to principal secretary to a state government and lieutenant general (Level 15/HAG) and equivalent ranks in Indian Armed Forces.[12][3]

Additional Secretary, GoI monthly pay and allowances
Base Salary as per 7th Pay Commission (Per month) Level on Pay Matrix Sources
₹182,200 (US$2,600) (Minimum Pay) to ₹224,100 (US$3,100) (Maximum Pay) Level 15 [3][25]

Reforms and challenges

Non-IAS civil services have complained to Government of India because of lack of empanelment in the rank/post of additional secretary on numerous occasions.[3][4][5][26][27]

References
  1. "The Central Staffing Scheme" (PDF). Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. January 1996. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  2. "Only Cabinet can create Joint Secretary, above level posts". Press Trust of India. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  3. "Report of the 7th Central Pay Commission of India" (PDF). Seventh Central Pay Commission, Government of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  4. Dastidar, Avishek G (14 January 2017). "Alleging bias, non-IAS officers petition PM Modi". The Indian Express. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  5. Tikku, Aloke (15 January 2016). "Parity between IAS and non-IAS? The IAS will get to decide". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  6. "Archive: JS-level posts vacant at Centre, few takers". Business Standard. Archived from the original on 6 November 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  7. Cherian, Dilip (6 November 2016). "Dilli Ka Babu: Permanent Representative of India in Unesco an IAS post". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 6 November 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  8. "Part I of the Constitution of India- The Union and its territory - Article 1" (PDF). Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  9. "Part XIV of the Constitution of India- Finance, Property, Contracts and Suits - Article 300" (PDF). Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  10. "Part XIV of the Constitution of India- Services under the Union and the States - Article 312(2)" (PDF). Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  11. Dutta, Sujjan (28 October 2017). "Govt 'clarifies', soldiers upset". The Telegraph. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  12. "Army Officers Pay Rules, 2017: Government of India" (PDF). Ministry of Defence (India). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 May 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  13. "Order of Precedence" (PDF). Rajya Sabha. President's Secretariat. 26 July 1979. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  14. "Table of Precedence" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. President's Secretariat. 26 July 1979. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 May 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  15. "Table of Precedence". Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. President's Secretariat. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  16. Maheshwari, S.R. (2000). Indian Administration (6th ed.). New Delhi: Orient Blackswan Private Ltd. ISBN 9788125019886.
  17. Jayapalan, N. (2001). Indian Administration 2 Vols. Set. Atlantic Publishers & Distri. p. 668. ISBN 9788171569212.
  18. "Powers and Duties of Officers and Employees as defined in the Manual of Office Procedure". Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion. 21 August 2014. Archived from the original on 23 August 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  19. "Central Secretariat Manual of Office Procedure - 14th Edition (2015)" (PDF). Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension. p. 6. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  20. "Delhi Confidential: New Respons(e)ibility". The Indian Express. 11 January 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  21. "SC against filing of affidavit below officer of Jt Secy level". Press Trust of India. 10 January 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  22. "PM to oversee cadre allocation of bureaucrats, postings of joint secretaries and above". The Times of India. 21 August 2014. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  23. "CHAPTER II PERSONNEL POLICIES (b) Composition of Board of Directors" (PDF). Department of Public Enterprises, Government of India. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  24. "Compendium (RTI Act) – Government Residence (General Pool in Delhi) Rules" (PDF). Directorate of Estates, Ministry of Urban Development. January 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  25. Biswas, Shreya, ed. (29 June 2016). "7th Pay Commission cleared: What is the Pay Commission? How does it affect salaries?". India Today. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  26. Tripathi, Shishir (8 December 2015). "IAS: Emperor among the kings?". Governance Now. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  27. "Need Pay Parity With IAS Officers, Say Officials Of 20 Civil Services". NDTV. 30 June 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2017.

Bibliography
  • Maheshwari, S.R. (2000). Indian Administration (6th ed.). New Delhi: Orient Blackswan Private Ltd. ISBN 9788125019886.
  • Kirk-Greene, A. (2000). Britain's Imperial Administrators, 1858-1966. New York City: Springer. ISBN 9780230286320.
  • Jayapalan, N. (2001). Indian Administration 2 Vols. Set. Atlantic Publishers & Distri. ISBN 9788171569212.
  • Mehta, Dalpat Singh (1968). Handbook Of Public Relations In India. New Delhi: Allied Publishers. ISBN 978-8170233343.
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