New Delhi: In September, the Narendra Modi government created a new position of principal advisor to the prime minister to accommodate former cabinet secretary P.K. Sinha in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). But even after two months, Sinha is working in the PMO without an official rank.
“Officially, no rank has been given to him since the position has just been carved out recently,” said a senior government official who didn’t want to be named. “But it is not something that is affecting his work…It’s just a formality.”
According to an order issued by the PMO — days after Sinha was appointed advisor to PM Modi — Sinha will oversee policy issues and matters relating to all ministries/departments/agencies/bodies except those specifically allocated to the principal secretary and the national security advisor (NSA).
Sinha’s colleagues in the PMO — Principal Secretary P.K. Mishra and NSA Ajit Doval — were both given cabinet ranks earlier this year.
While official files are being routed through him, Sinha’s position in the official hierarchy or in the order of precedence is not known since he does not have an official rank.
Before being accommodated in the PMO, Sinha, a 1977-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, was the cabinet secretary for four years, making him the longest-serving cabinet secretary in history. As the cabinet secretary, who is the top-most civil servant in the country, Sinha held secretary rank.
The cabinet secretary comes 11th in the order of precedence.
Why is an official rank important?
Ranks in the bureaucracy have three dimensions, said a senior IAS officer.
“The first is the protocol dimension…to know where one stands in the order of precedence,” the officer said. “The second is for compensation and emolument,” he added.
“But at his level of seniority, the first two are not so consequential…it is the third aspect which is important.” The third aspect is to know his status or position qua the NSA or principal secretary, the officer said.
According to the officer, it is important for the advisor to the PM to know his rank. “For example, if a meeting involves both the advisor and the principal secretary, how do we know who has the final word in the meeting?”
While his status vis-a-vis secretaries in other ministries or even the cabinet secretary may be obvious, the specificity of his rank assumes relevance within the PMO or vis-a-vis the NSA as he is part of the PMO.
Also read: Nripendra Misra steps down as PS to PM Modi, Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha moves into PMO