Line Department
Line departments are government departments at the state level, with mandates related to specific thematic sectors. These departments may further comprise several smaller departments depending on the size of the state and administrative convenience and can therefore vary across different states.
A line department is generally headed by a state government Minister, assisted by a career bureaucrat, of the designation of Secretary, Principal Secretary or Commissioner, depending on seniority. Each Line Department has a district-level head, such as the Superintending Engineer for the Rural Water Supply Department. Each department also has staff for implementation of work, such as Executive Engineers (EE), Deputy Executive Engineers (DEE), Assistant Engineers (AE), Junior Engineers (JE), Pump Operators, etc. besides clerical staff.
A line department is generally headed by a state government Minister, assisted by a career bureaucrat, of the designation of Secretary, Principal Secretary or Commissioner, depending on seniority. Each Line Department has a district-level head, such as the Superintending Engineer for the Rural Water Supply Department. Each department also has staff for implementation of work, such as Executive Engineers (EE), Deputy Executive Engineers (DEE), Assistant Engineers (AE), Junior Engineers (JE), Pump Operators, etc. besides clerical staff.
