The Chief Secretary is the highest-ranking executive official and civil servant of the government of an Indian state.

The Chief Secretary is the senior-most cadre post in the state administration, ranking 23rd on the Indian order of precedence.

[4] A Chief Secretary functions as the central point of interdepartmental coordination at the departmental level and is classified as being in the Apex Grade.

[4][9][10][11][12][13][14] Traditionally, the most senior IAS officer within a state is chosen as the Chief Secretary;[15][16][17][18][19][20] however, there are exceptions.

However, the union territories of Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry, which have been granted partial statehood, do have Chief Secretaries.