Parliamentary Secretary

A Parliamentary Secretary is a high-ranking government position. The Prime Minister of India appoints the Parliamentary Secretaries. Their main role is to aid the cabinet ministers and even the PM. A Parliamentary Secretary also has a number of departmental and parliamentary duties as well. They work closely under the direction of the cabinet Ministers and in addition, they also have department-related public and House duties to perform as well.

House Duties

The Parliamentary Secretary in the House plays the role of liaison between the ministers, senators and other House members. They help in strengthening the contacts within the government caucus. They also have a keen role to play regarding the cabinet members business. They may be held responsible for answering policy questions in the absence of a minister from the House.

Other Roles and Responsibilities:

• Preparation of Statements by Members. Many members may not devote time for the purpose.
• During adjournment proceedings, they may speak on behalf of a minister.
• They may also act on the behalf of a cabinet minister in some circumstances.

While the Parliamentary Secretaries have a number of responsibilities and rights, they are not involved in some major decisions. They may not represent government bills and are ineligible to introduce their own private Member's motions or bills. Many states have established the Parliamentary Secretary post. Punjab, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh are some of the states where the Parliament Secretaries are appointed.