Seva Teerth
NEW DELHI: Setting the stage for shifting one of the most powerful and oldest seats of power, the cabinet secretary on Tuesday moved to a new building in Central Vista named “Sewa Tirath-2” in Executive Enclave-I, adjacent to Vayu Bhawan. Two other buildings, Sewa Tirath-1 and Sewa Tirath-3 in the enclave, will house the new PMO and the office of the NSA. At present, the cabinet secretariat operates from Rashtrapati Bhawan.TOI has learned that cabinet secretary TV Somanathan held his first meeting in the new office on “Transforming Delhi,” which was attended by over two dozen central govt secretaries and top officials from the Delhi govt. Sources said officials from the housing and urban affairs ministry made a detailed presentation on the plans and progress of Central Vista redevelopment projects, new govt residential accommodation for central govt employees, and development works undertaken by agencies including the Delhi Development Authority.“The main focus was to appraise top officials across ministries about the plans and projects that have been rolled out in the Delhi-NCR region and to emphasise better coordination among all departments to make Delhi a better place for all. Details of plans such as the rejuvenation of the Yamuna were also presented to the administrative heads of departments,” said a source.Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first new Common Central Secretariat (CCS) building named Kartavya Bhawan, which houses multiple ministries. Officials said the names of govt office buildings align with the PM’s call for officials to work in service of citizens and the underlying theme. Govt aims to complete all projects under the Central Vista revamp plan, including the new PM residence (close to South Block), by the end of 2027.The history of the Cabinet Secretariat began as the Secretariat of the Executive Council during British rule. Government business was conducted by the Council of the Governor-General of India, which functioned as a Joint Consultative Board. The Governor-General of India’s secretary was designated Secretary to the Executive Council. With the formation of the Interim Government of India in 1946, the Secretariat of the Executive Council was redesignated as the Cabinet Secretariat, and the Secretary to the Executive Council was redesignated as the Cabinet Secretary.
