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Wednesday, September 13, 2023

                    Parliament Secretariat

The two houses of Parliament are given the authority to draft their own rules of procedure and have distinct secretarial staffs under our constitution. Members of Parliament (MPs) actively debating key national issues that influence the country are the visible aspect of a lively legislature. The backbone of Parliament, however, is an autonomous secretariat that works ceaselessly in the background to support legislative function. 


Lok Sabha Secretariat

  • The Speaker of the Lok Sabha advises the Lok Sabha Secretariat, which is an independent entity of the Lok Sabha.
  • The Speaker of the Lok Sabha is assisted in the discharge of his constitutional and statutory responsibilities by the Secretary-General, Lok Sabha (whose pay scale, position, and status are equivalent to those of the highest-ranking official in the Government of India, i.e. Cabinet Secretary), Additional Secretary, Joint Secretary, and other officers and staff of the Secretariat at various levels.
  • The Secretary General serves until he or she reaches the age of 60, when he or she retires.
  • He or she is exclusively accountable to the Speaker, and his or her actions cannot be debated or criticized inside or outside the Lok Sabha.
  • In the absence of the Speaker, he summons members of Parliament to a session of Parliament and authenticates bills on behalf of the President of India.

Rajya Sabha secretariat

  • The Rajya Sabha Secretariat was established under the provisions of Article 98 of the Constitution.
  • The Chairman of the Rajya Sabha oversees and controls the Rajya Sabha Secretariat.

Functions are;

  • Providing secretarial assistance and support to the Council of States (Rajya Sabha)
  • Providing amenities to Rajya Sabha Members
  • Serving the various Parliamentary Committees
  • Preparing research and reference material and bringing out various publications
  • Recruiting manpower in the Sabha Secretariat and attending to personnel matters
  • Preparing and publishing a record of the day-to-day procedure.