India’s New Cabinet Secretary 

Recently, Dr. T.V. Somanathan took over as the Cabinet Secretary after the superannuation of his predecessor, Shri Rajiv Gauba.

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• He is an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Tamil Nadu cadre (1987 batch).

 

• About Cabinet Secretary 

• Cabinet Secretary is the administrative head of the Cabinet Secretariat who is also the ex-officio Chairman of the Civil Services Board, and serves as the head of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).
• Cabinet Secretary plays a crucial role in coordinating policy implementation, inter-ministerial communication, and administrative matters at the highest level.

 

Roles & Functions 

• Inter-ministerial coordination 
• Advising the Prime Minister
• Assistance to Cabinet Committee
• Administrative Leadership

 

Cabinet Secretariat 

• It functions directly under the Prime Minister. 
• It is responsible for the administration of the Government of India (Transaction of Business) Rules, 1961 and Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961 facilitating smooth transaction of business in Ministries/Departments.

 

Functions of Cabinet Secretariat 

• To ensure coordination among various ministries in major crisis situations.
• To provide assistance to the government in decision making.