Ministries & Departments

Allocation of Business, The Secretariat & Administrative Hierarchy

PART I — THE ARCHITECTURE OF GOVERNANCE

THE MACRO STRUCTURE

The executive work of the Government of India is divided into **Ministries** and **Departments**.
A **Ministry** is the broader umbrella organization, usually headed politically by a Cabinet Minister.
A Ministry may consist of one or more **Departments** (e.g., the Ministry of Finance has Departments of Economic Affairs, Revenue, Expenditure, etc.).
Each Department is administratively headed by a **Secretary** to the Government of India (usually a senior IAS officer).

ARTICLE 77(3)

Under Article 77(3), the **President** makes rules for the more convenient transaction of the business of the GoI, and for the allocation of this business among Ministers.
This results in the **Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961**.
These rules dictate exactly which Ministry or Department is responsible for which subjects, ensuring no overlap or jurisdictional ambiguity. The Cabinet Secretariat ensures compliance.

THE CENTRAL SECRETARIAT

The Central Secretariat forms the apex of the administrative hierarchy. A Department is structurally divided as follows:
**Secretary:** Administrative head of the Department.
**Wing:** Headed by an Additional/Joint Secretary.
**Division:** Headed by a Director/Deputy Secretary.
**Branch:** Headed by an Under Secretary.
**Section:** Headed by a Section Officer (the lowest supervisory level).

POLICY VS IMPLEMENTATION

The Secretariat is primarily a **policy-making** body. It does not execute the policies itself.
Execution is left to executive agencies:
**Attached Offices:** Provide executive direction required in implementing policies (e.g., Central Public Works Department, DGFT).
**Subordinate Offices:** Function as field establishments responsible for the detailed execution of decisions at the ground level.

INITIALIZE: WORLD P — REALM 170 (CABINET SECRETARIAT & PMO)