In a landmark reform for India's civil services, Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan introduced a marks-based performance scorecard system for Union Secretaries — the first time such a structured quantitative accountability mechanism has been applied to the most senior bureaucrats in the Government of India.
The scorecard framework is built around approximately 100 marks distributed across five parameters. File disposal and processing speed accounts for 20 marks, reflecting the importance of administrative efficiency. Output and deliverables carry 15 marks, measuring tangible outcomes of secretarial work. Scheme expenditure — tracking how effectively ministries spend allocated budgets — carries 15 marks. Capital expenditure (capex) progress is weighted at 15 marks, incentivising infrastructure-linked spending. Finally, a discretionary component of 5 marks allows supervisory evaluation of qualitative performance.
The inaugural round of scorecards covered the period September to November 2025, giving secretaries feedback on their performance across these parameters. The initiative is being overseen by the Cabinet Secretariat as part of a broader push to bring outcomes-based accountability into the highest echelons of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).
This reform is significant for several reasons: it signals a move from seniority-based promotions and transfers to merit and measurable output; it introduces private-sector-style KPIs into the bureaucracy; and it creates a data trail that can inform empanelment and extension decisions at the Secretary level. For RAS aspirants, this is relevant under administrative reforms, civil service accountability, and good governance topics.