• The Centre relaxed key rules to give a one-year extension to Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba beyond August 30, 2023.

• With the completion of this third extension, he will become the longest serving Cabinet Secretary of the country. 

• Till now, B.D. Pande had been the longest serving cabinet secretary from November 2, 1972, to March 31, 1977.

• Gauba, a former Union home secretary, was in 2019 appointed to the country’s top bureaucratic post for two years. He was given one-year extensions in 2021 and then in August last year.

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved extension in service to Gauba, a 1982-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Jharkhand cadre, for a further period of one year beyond August 30, 2023, in relaxation of AIS or All India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefits or DCRB) Rules, 1958 and and Rule 56 (d) of the Fundamental Rules. 

• The rules allow the central government to give extension in service to the cabinet secretary, in the public interest provided that the total term of the cabinet secretary, who is granted such extensions of service, shall not exceed four years. 

• Born in Punjab, Gauba had graduated in Physics from the Patna University. He had served in Jharkhand as the chief secretary for 15 months before returning to serve in the central government in 2016.

Cabinet Secretariat

• The Cabinet Secretariat is responsible for the administration of the Government of India (Transaction of Business) Rules, 1961 and the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules 1961, facilitating smooth transaction of business in ministries/ departments of the government. 

• The Cabinet Secretariat functions directly under the Prime Minister. 

• The administrative head of the Secretariat is the Cabinet Secretary who is also the ex-officio Chairman of the Civil Services Board. 

Functions of Cabinet Secretariat:

• This Secretariat provides secretarial assistance to the Cabinet and its committees, and also assists in decision-making in government by ensuring inter-ministerial coordination, ironing out differences amongst ministries/departments and evolving consensus through the instrumentality of the standing/ad hoc committees of secretaries. Through this mechanism new policy initiatives are also promoted.

• The Cabinet Secretariat ensures that the President, the Vice President and ministers are kept informed of the major activities of all ministries/ departments by means of monthly summary of their activities. 

• Management of major crisis situations in the country and coordinating activities of various Ministries in such a situation is also one of the functions of the Cabinet Secretariat.

The origin of Cabinet Secretariat

• Before the adoption of the portfolio system in the government of India, all governmental business was disposed of by the Governor-General in Council, the Council functioning as a Joint Consultative Board. 

• As the amount and complexity of business of the government increased, the work of the various departments was distributed amongst the members of the Council, only the more important cases being dealt with by the Governor-General or the Council collectively.

• This procedure was legalised by the Indian Councils Act, 1861 during the time of Lord Canning, leading to the introduction of the portfolio system and the inception of the Executive Council of the Governor-General.

• The Secretariat of the Executive Council was headed by the Private Secretary to the Viceroy, but he did not attend the Council meetings. 

• Lord Willingdon first started the practice of having his Private Secretary by his side at these meetings. Later, this practice continued and in November, 1935, the Viceroy’s Private Secretary was given the additional designation of Secretary to the Executive Council. 

• But these posts were separated subsequently, and a separate Secretary was appointed to the Executive Council as distinct from the Private Secretary to the Viceroy and Governor General.

• Constitution of the interim government in September 1946 brought a change in the name of this Office. On September 5, 1946, the Secretariat of the Executive Council was designated as Cabinet Secretariat, and the Secretary to the Executive Council as Cabinet Secretary. 

• It seems, however, at least in retrospect, that Independence brought a sort of change in the functions of the Cabinet Secretariat. It no longer remained concerned with only the work of circulating papers to ministers and ministries, but developed into an organisation for effecting coordination between the ministries.

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