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{{Short description|Indian Defence Secretary}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2018}}
{{Infobox official post
| post = Defence Secretary
| flag = Flag of India.svg
| flagsize = 110
| flagborder= yes
| flagcaption = [[Flag of India]]
| insignia = Emblem_of_India.svg
| insigniasize = 50px
| insigniacaption = Emblem of India
| reports_to =
*[[Parliament of India]]
*[[Union Council of Ministers|Council of Ministers of India]]
*[[Prime Minister of India]]
*[[Minister of Defence (India)|Defence Minister of India]]
| residence = 7, [[New Moti Bagh]], [[New Delhi]]<ref name=":Defence Secy. residence">{{Cite web|url=http://mod.nic.in/sites/default/files/Detailsrm.pdf|title=Telephone numbers and addresses of top executives in Defence Ministry|access-date=October 10, 2017}}</ref>
| seat = [[Ministry of Defence (India)|Ministry of Defence]] [[Secretariat Building, New Delhi|South Block, Cabinet Secretariat]] [[Raisina Hill]] [[New Delhi]]
| appointer = [[Appointments Committee of the Cabinet]]
| appointer_qualified =
| termlength = {{raise|0.0em|Two years, term can be extended.}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/2005/02/09/stories/2005020906041100.htm|title=Fixed tenure planned for Home, Defence Secretaries|last=Khare|first=Harish|date=February 8, 2005|website=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=January 10, 2018}}{{dead link|date=April 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2005/sep/22fixed.htm|title=Fixed tenure for defence, home secretaries|date=September 22, 2005|website=[[Rediff.com]]|access-date=January 10, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/newswire/story/fixed-tenure-for-defence-home-secretaries/324513|title=Fixed tenure for Defence, Home Secretaries|date=September 22, 2005|website=[[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook]]|access-date= January 17, 2018}}</ref>
| incumbent = [[Ajay Kumar (civil servant)|Ajay Kumar]], [[Indian Administrative Service|IAS]]
| incumbentsince = 23 August 2019
| image = File:The Secretary (Defence Production), Dr. Ajay Kumar, in New Delhi on July 04, 2019 (cropped).jpg
| succession =
| inaugural = G. S. Bhalja, [[Indian Civil Services|ICS]]
| formation = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1947|07|21}}
| member_of = [[Strategic Policy Group]] Committee of [[Secretary to the Government of India|Secretaries]] on Administration Defence Acquisition Council [[Defence Planning Committee]] Defence Procurcement Board (as ''Chairman'') Defence Production Board [[Defence Research and Development Organisation]]
| salary = {{INRConvert|225000}} monthly<ref name="7 Pay Commission Report" /><ref name=":India Today 7CPC">{{Cite web|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/7th-pay-commission-cleared-what-is-pay-commission-how-does-it-effect-our-pockets/1/703452.html|title=7th Pay Commission cleared: What is the Pay Commission? How does it affect salaries?|date=June 29, 2016|editor-last=Biswas|editor-first=Shreya|website=[[India Today]]|access-date=September 24, 2017}}</ref>
| website = {{URL|http://www.mod.nic.in/|Official Website}}
| department = [[File:Flag of the Ministry of Defence of India.svg|25px|border|Ministry of Defence (India)]] [[Ministry of Defence (India)|Ministry of Defence]]
| native_name = Rakṣā Saciva
| body =
}}
{{Politics of India}}
The '''Defence Secretary''' ([[International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration|IAST]]: ''Rakṣā Saciva'') is the administrative head of the [[Ministry of Defence (India)|Ministry of Defence]]. This post is held by a senior [[Indian Administrative Service]] of the rank of [[secretary to the Government of India]]. The current Defence Secretary is [[Ajay Kumar (civil servant)|Ajay Kumar]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=192758|title=ACC appointments|date=2019-08-21|publisher=Press Information Bureau, Government of India}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet|user=SpokespersonMoD|number=1164874563630407680|title=Defence Secretary @drajaykumar_ias felicitating his predecessor Shri Sanjay Mitra at his farewell in New Delhi, today.|date=2019-08-23}}</ref>

As a [[secretary to the Government of India]], the Defence Secretary ranks 23rd on [[Indian order of precedence]], along with all other Secretaries to the Government of India, and [[Lieutenant Generals]] in the grade of Army Commander.<ref name="rajyasabha2">{{cite web|url=http://rajyasabha.nic.in/rsnew/guidline_govt_mp/chap11.pdf|title=Order of Precedence|date=July 26, 1979|work=[[Rajya Sabha]]|publisher=President's Secretariat|access-date=September 24, 2017}}</ref>

== Powers, responsibilities and postings ==
Defence Secretary is the administrative head of the [[Ministry of Defence (India)|Ministry of Defence]], and is the principal adviser to the [[Minister of Defence (India)|Minister of Defence]] on all matters of policy and administration within the Ministry of Defence.<ref name="CSMOP India">{{cite web|url=http://darpg.gov.in/sites/default/files/CSMOP_0_0.pdf|title=Central Secretariat Manual of Office Procedure - 14th Edition (2015)|publisher=[[Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions (India)|Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension]]|page=6|access-date=15 November 2016}}</ref>

The role of Defence Secretary is as follows:
* To act as the administrative head of the [[Ministry of Defence (India)#Department of Defence|Ministry of Defence]]. The responsibility in this regard is complete and undivided.<ref name="Governance India">{{cite book|title=Governance in India (2nd Edition)|last=Laxmikanth|first=M.|publisher=McGraw Hill Education|year=2014|isbn=978-9339204785|location=[[Noida]]|pages=3.1–3.10}}</ref>
* To act as the chief adviser to the [[Minister of Defence (India)|Defence Minister]] on all aspects of policy and administrative affairs.<ref name="Governance India" />
* To represent the [[Ministry of Defence (India)|Ministry of Defence]] before the [[Public Accounts Committee]] of the [[Parliament of India]].<ref name="Governance India" />
* The Defence Secretary is responsible for coordinating the activities of the other departments (Department of Defence Production, [[Department of Military Affairs]], Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare and [[Defence Research and Development Organisation|Department of Defence Research and Development]]) in the [[Ministry of Defence (India)|Ministry of Defence]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mod.gov.in/dod/about-department-defence-0|title=About DoD|website=Department of Defence, [[Government of India]]|access-date=January 10, 2018}}</ref>
* To act as the [[Primus inter pares|first among equals]] among the [[Secretary to the Government of India|secretaries]] in the [[Ministry of Defence (India)|Ministry of Defence]].

== Emolument, accommodation and perquisites ==
The Defence Secretary is eligible for a [[diplomatic passport]]. The official earmarked residence of the Defence Secretary is 7, [[New Moti Bagh]], [[New Delhi]], a Type-VIII [[bungalow]].<ref name=":Defence Secy. residence" />

The salary and emolument in this rank is equivalent<ref name="Army Pay Rules2">{{cite web|url=http://www.mod.nic.in/sites/default/files/ArmyPayRules.pdf|title=Army Pay Rules, 2017|date=May 3, 2017|work=[[Ministry of Defence (India)|Ministry of Defence]], [[Government of India]]|access-date=September 24, 2017}}</ref> to [[Chief secretary (India)|chief secretaries]] of state governments and to [[Vice Chief of the Army Staff (India)|Vice Chief of the Army Staff]]/commanders and officers in the rank of Lieutenant General and its equivalents in the [[Indian Armed Forces]].<ref name="Army Pay Rules2" />
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible" style="margin: 1ex 0 1ex 1ex; "
|+'''Defence Secretary monthly pay and allowances'''
!Base salary as per the [[7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) and Defence Forces|7th Pay Commission]] (per month)
!Pay matrix level
!Sources
|-
|{{INRConvert|225000}}
|Pay level 17
|<ref name="7 Pay Commission Report">{{cite web|url=http://7cpc.india.gov.in/pdf/sevencpcreport.pdf|title=Report of the 7th Central Pay Commission of India|publisher=Seventh Central [[Pay Commission]], [[Government of India]]|format=PDF|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120092637/http://7cpc.india.gov.in/pdf/sevencpcreport.pdf|archive-date=November 20, 2015|url-status=dead|access-date=August 13, 2017}}</ref><ref name=":India Today 7CPC" />
|}

== List of Defence Secretaries ==
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
|+List of Union Defence Secretaries<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mod.gov.in/dod/defence-secretaries%20|title=Defence Secretaries (Page 1)|website=Department of Defence, [[Government of India]]|access-date=January 10, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mod.gov.in/dod/defence-secretaries%20?page=1|title=Defence Secretaries (Page 2)|website=Department of Defence, [[Government of India]]|access-date=January 10, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mod.gov.in/dod/defence-secretaries%20?page=2|title=Defence Secretaries (Page 3)|website=Department of Defence, [[Government of India]]|access-date=January 10, 2018}}</ref>
!S. No.
!Name
!Assumed office
!Demitted office
|-
|1
|G. S. Bhalja
|21 July 1947
|6 October 1947
|-
|2
|[[Hirubhai M. Patel|H. M. Patel]]
|7 October 1947
|20 July 1953
|-
|3
|B. B. Ghosh
|21 July 1953
|12 November 1953
|-
|4
|[[M. K. Vellodi]]
|13 November 1953
|13 June 1957
|-
|5
|O. Pulla Reddy
|14 June 1957
|21 November 1962
|-
|6
|[[P. V. R. Rao]]
|21 November 1962
|3 April 1965
|-
|7
|A. D. Pandit
|4 April 1965
|4 August 1965
|-
|(5)
|P. V. R. Rao
|5 August 1965
|31 December 1966
|-
|8
|V. Shankar
|1 January 1967
|2 November 1968
|-
|9
|[[Harish Chandra Sarin|H. C. Sarin]]
|3 November 1968
|7 December 1970
|-
|10
|[[K. B. Lall]]
|8 December 1970
|18 May 1973
|-
|11
|[[Govind Narain]]
|19 May 1973
|31 May 1975
|-
|12
|D. R. Kohli
|1 June 1975
|31 March 1977
|-
|13
|Gian Prakash
|4 April 1977
|26 March 1978
|-
|14
|S. Banerjee
|27 March 1978
|3 July 1979
|-
|15
|J. A. Dave
|9 July 1979
|10 April 1980
|-
|16
|K. P. A. Menon
|5 May 1980
|11 August 1981
|-
|17
|[[P. K. Kaul]]
|12 August 1981
|30 June 1983
|-
|18
|S. M. Ghosh
|26 July 1983
|25 June 1984
|-
|19
|[[S. K. Bhatnagar]]
|6 July 1984
|31 May 1988
|-
|20
|[[T. N. Seshan]]
|1 June 1988
|22 February 1989
|-
|21
|[[Naresh Chandra]]
|22 February 1989
|21 March 1990
|-
|22
|[[Narinder Nath Vohra]]
|21 March 1990
|6 April 1993
|-
|23
|K. A. Nambiar
|6 April 1993
|6 June 1996
|-
|24
|T. K. Banerjee
|5 August 1996
|31 May 1997
|-
|25
|Ajit Kumar
|31 May 1997
|1 January 1999
|-
|26
|[[T. R. Prasad]]
|1 January 1999
|20 October 2000
|-
|27
|[[Yogendra Narain]]
|20 October 2000
|30 June 2002
|-
|28
|Subir Dutta
|20 June 2002
|4 July 2003
|-
|29
|Ajay Prasad
|14 July 2003
|30 June 2004
|-
|30
|Ajai Vikram Singh
|1 July 2004
|31 July 2005
|-
|31
|[[Shekhar Dutt]]
|1 August 2005
|31 July 2007
|-
|32
|[[Vijay Singh (administrator)|Vijay Singh]]
|1 August 2007
|31 July 2009
|-
|33
|[[Pradeep Kumar (IAS)|Pradeep Kumar]]
|1 August 2009
|14 July 2011
|-
|34
|[[Shashi Kant Sharma]]
|14 July 2011
|22 May 2013
|-
|35
|[[R. K. Mathur]]
|25 May 2013
|24 May 2015
|-
|36
|[[G. Mohan Kumar]]
|25 May 2015
|24 May 2017
|-
|37
|[[Sanjay Mitra (civil servant)|Sanjay Mitra]]
|25 May 2017
|23 August 2019
|-
|38
|[[Ajay Kumar (civil servant)|Ajay Kumar]]
|23 August 2019
|''[[Incumbent]]''
|}

== See also ==
* [[Cabinet Secretary of India]]
* [[Home Secretary of India]]
* [[Foreign Secretary of India]]
* [[Finance Secretary of India]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book|title=Indian Administration (6th Edition)|last=Maheshwari|first=S.R.|publisher=Orient Blackswan Private Ltd.|year=2000|isbn=9788125019886|location=[[New Delhi]]}}
* {{cite book|title=Governance in India (2nd Edition)|last=Laxmikanth|first=M.|publisher=McGraw Hill Education|year=2014|isbn=978-9339204785|location=[[Noida]]}}
{{refend}}

{{Military of India}}

[[Category:Civil Services of India]]
[[Category:Indian government officials]]
[[Category:Indian Administrative Service officers]]
[[Category:Ministry of Defence (India)]]

Defence Secretary (India) - Revision history

LucretiaGoldhar: adjusted content and cleaned formatting

>Defencesecretary at 08:08, 23 November 2021