Prime Minister's Office (India)

During the tenure of Jawaharlal Nehru as the first Prime Minister of India, the then Prime Minister's Secretariat was headed by a Joint Secretary to Government of India until his death.^[2] The post of the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister was conceived during the tenure of Indira Gandhi as Prime Minister.^[2] The Principal Secretary to the PM is the head of the Prime Minister's Office.

The PMO provides secretarial assistance to the Prime Minister. It is headed by the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister. The PMO includes the anti-corruption unit and the public wing dealing with grievances. The office houses the Prime Minister and few selected officers of Indian Civil Service who work with him to manage and coordinate government and his office. The Prime Minister through his office coordinates with all ministers in the central union cabinet, minister of independent charges and governors and ministers of state government. The PMO is located at the South Block of the Secretariat Building.

The subject-matter of files required to be submitted to the Prime Minister depends on whether he is holding direct charge of the Ministry or whether there is a Cabinet Minister or Minister of State (Independent Charge) in charge of the Ministry. In the case of the latter, most matters are dealt with by the Cabinet Minister / Minister of State-in-charge. Only important policy issues, which the Minister concerned feels should be submitted to the Prime Minister for orders or information, are received in the PMO.

In cases where the Prime Minister is the Minister-in-charge, matters requiring Ministerial approval which are not delegated to the Minister of State/Deputy Minister, if any, are submitted for orders. The Prime Minister has traditionally been the Minister-in-charge of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and the Departments of Space and Atomic Energy.

Some of the important matters that require the Prime Minister's personal attention include the following:

1. Important defence-related issues;
2. Decorations, both civilian and defence, where Presidential approval is required;
3. All important policy issues;
4. Proposals for appointment of Indian Heads of Missions abroad and requests for grant of agreement for foreign Heads of Missions posted to India;
5. All important decisions relating to the Cabinet Secretariat;
6. Appointments to State Administrative Tribunals and the Central Administrative Tribunal, UPSC, Election Commission, Appointment of members of statutory/constitutional Committees, Commissions attached to various Ministries;
7. All policy matters relating to the administration of the Indian Administrative Service and other Civil Services and administrative reforms;
8. Special Packages announced by the Prime Minister for States are monitored in the PMO and periodical reports submitted to Prime Minister; and

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) located in South Block, overlooking the grandeur of Rashtrapati Bhawan. Though in the 1990s I.K. Gujral and some of his predecessors, used Prime Minister's Residence (PMR) spread over a 4-hectare complex as office.^[4]