Federal and provincial secretariats

The Federal Secretariat

• Consists of ministries, each made up of one or more divisions.
• Each division is headed by a secretary, who is its administrative head and Principal Accounting Officer.
• Business is allocated among divisions under Schedule I of the Rules of Business, 1973.
• Key divisions: Cabinet Division, Establishment Division (civil service management), Finance Division, Law and Justice Division.
• Attached departments (such as the FIA under Interior) and autonomous bodies work under ministries.
• Functions: policy formulation, legislation drafting, budgeting, coordination and oversight.

The Provincial Secretariat

• Headed by the Chief Secretary, the senior-most provincial civil servant, who is appointed by the federal government in consultation with the province.
• The Chief Secretary heads the provincial bureaucracy, acts as secretary to the provincial cabinet and coordinates all departments.
• Departments (education, health, home, finance, planning and development, local government and others) are headed by secretaries; some provinces have additional chief secretaries.
• The Services and General Administration Department manages provincial civil servants.
• Each province has its own Rules of Business.

Relationship with districts

Provincial departments work through district officers. The Deputy Commissioner is the chief administrative officer of a district, coordinating government departments and, in many provinces, overseeing revenue and law and order.

Challenges

• Centralization in secretariats and slow file movement.
• Frequent transfers of secretaries.
• Overlapping functions after devolution.
• Weak policy research capacity.

Way forward

• E-office and digital file management.
• Delegation of powers to departments and districts.
• Stable tenure and performance contracts for secretaries.
• Policy units within ministries and departments.

Conclusion

The secretariats are the engine rooms of government. Their efficiency determines how quickly and well decisions are turned into action.