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Q58 (IAS/2014) Polity & Governance › Union Executive › Cabinet Secretariat Official Key

Which of the following is/are the function/functions of the Cabinet Secretariat? 1. Preparation of agenda for Cabinet Meetings 2. Secretarial assistance to Cabinet Committees 3. Allocation of financial resources to the Ministries Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: C
Explanation

The correct answer is option C (statements 1 and 2 only).

The Privy Council Office (Cabinet secretariat) provides support to the Cabinet and its committees including circulating agendas and providing advice to the chairperson of each committee on agenda items[1], which confirms statement 1. The Cabinet Secretariat provides secretarial assistance to the Cabinet and Cabinet[3] Committees, including the Cabinet[2] Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, confirming statement 2.

However, statement 3 is incorrect. The allocation of financial resources to ministries is the function of the Ministry of Finance, particularly through the budget-making process and the Department of Expenditure. The business of the Cabinet Secretariat is allotted to the Prime Minister[4], and its primary role is to facilitate Cabinet functioning through secretarial and procedural support, not financial allocation. The Cabinet Secretariat coordinates inter-ministerial matters and ensures proper decision-making processes, but does not handle budgetary allocations.

Sources
  1. [1] https://ciec-ccie.parl.gc.ca/en/investigations-enquetes/Documents/CP1-3-2011-eng.pdf
  2. [2] https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/upload_document/abr_dsel.pdf
  3. [3] https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/upload_document/abr_dsel.pdf
  4. [4] https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/upload_document/abr_dsel.pdf
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. Which of the following is/are the function/functions of the Cabinet Secretariat? 1. Preparation of agenda for Cabinet Meetings 2. Secreta…
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 6.7/10
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This is a classic 'Functional Segregation' question. It tests if you can distinguish between 'Administrative Coordination' (Cabinet Secretariat) and 'Financial Control' (Ministry of Finance). While specific rules are technical, the elimination of Statement 3 relies on the fundamental Polity principle that the Finance Ministry holds the purse strings.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Does the Cabinet Secretariat of India prepare the agenda for Cabinet meetings?
Origin: Weak / unclear Fairness: Borderline / guessy
Indirect textbook clues
Democratic Politics-I. Political Science-Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 4: WORKING OF INSTITUTIONS > Prime Minister and C er and Cer Council of Ministers > p. 66
Strength: 5/5
“No minister can openly criticise any decision of the government, even if it is about another Ministry or Department. Every ministry has secretaries, who are civil servants. The secretaries provide the necessary background information to the ministers to take decisions. The Cabinet as a team is assisted by the Cabinet Secretariat. This includes many senior civil servants who try to coordinate the working of different ministries. • List the names of five Cabinet Ministers and their ministries each at the Union level and in your state. • Meet the Mayor or Municipal Chairperson of your town or the President of Zilla Parishad of your district and ask him or her about how the city, town or district is administered.”
Why relevant

States that the Cabinet as a team is assisted by the Cabinet Secretariat, which includes senior civil servants who coordinate the working of different ministries.

How to extend

A student could infer that an assisting/ coordinating secretariat plausibly handles administrative tasks like compiling items from ministries into an agenda.

Democratic Politics-I. Political Science-Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 4: WORKING OF INSTITUTIONS > Prime Minister and C er and Cer Council of Ministers > p. 65
Strength: 4/5
“It comprises about 25 ministers. • Ministers of State with independent charge are usually in-charge of smaller Ministries. They participate in the Cabinet meetings only when specially invited. Since it is not practical for all ministers to meet regularly and discuss everything, the decisions are taken in Cabinet meetings. That is why parliamentary democracy in most countries is often known as the Cabinet form of government. The Cabinet works as a team. The ministers may have different views and opinions, but everyone has to own up to every decision of the Cabinet. 65 The race to become minister is not new.”
Why relevant

Explains that secretaries (civil servants) provide necessary background information to ministers to take decisions and that Cabinet meetings are where collective decisions are taken.

How to extend

Combine this with the Secretariat's coordinating role to suggest civil servants/secretariat prepare background papers and possibly the meeting agenda.

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 16: Inter-State Relations > INTER-STATE COUNCILS > p. 169
Strength: 4/5
“It consists of the following members: (i) Union Home Minister as the Chairman (ii) Five Union Cabinet Ministers (iii) Nine Chief Ministers The Council is assisted by a secretariat called the Inter-State Council Secretariat. This secretariat was set-up in 1991 and is headed by a secretary to the Government of India. Since 2011, it is also functioning as the secretariat of the Zonal Councils.”
Why relevant

Describes that inter‑state bodies are assisted by a secretariat headed by a secretary to the Government of India, showing a pattern of secretariats providing administrative support.

How to extend

Using the general rule that secretariats administer and service high‑level councils, a student could plausibly extend this to the Cabinet Secretariat preparing agendas for Cabinet.

Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 16: Inter State Relations > INTER-STATE COUNCILS > p. 169
Strength: 3/5
“It consists of the following members: (i) Union Home Minister as the Chairman (ii) Five Union Cabinet Ministers (iii) Nine Chief Ministers The Council is assisted by a secretariat called the Inter-State Council Secretariat. This secretariat was set-up in 1991 and is headed by a secretary to the Government of India. Since 2011, it is also functioning as the secretariat of the Zonal Councils.”
Why relevant

Repeats the pattern that a council is assisted by a secretariat set up to provide support and is headed by a secretary, reinforcing the administrative role of secretariats.

How to extend

A student could generalize that secretariats of major bodies typically handle procedural tasks (e.g., agenda preparation) and therefore suspect the Cabinet Secretariat does likewise.

Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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