Secretariat Administration Department originally formed a part of the Establishment Branch of the Finance Department. In 1930, there were only 5 Secretariat Departments and a few branches with clerical strength of 35 Upper Division assistants and 124 Lower Division Assistants under 5 Head Assistants working under the administrative control of the Registrar who functioned directly under the Chief Secretary.

The Establishment Branch then consisted of an Accountant in charge of the Branch, 2 Upper Division Assistants, 2 Lower Division Assistants and a Diarist. The Nazarat was then a part of the then General and Judicial Department. There was no Issue Branch and the Departments had to do the receipt and issue work themselves till 1939 when this branch was created to centralize issue of dak in the Secretariat.

Due to the Second World War and after attainment of Independence, the work-load increased and with the constitution of many new departments, a separate Secretariat Administration Department was constituted in 1952. It has continued since then and now consists of the branches viz. Establishment (both Gazetted and Non-Gazetted), Nazarat, Accounts, Vehicle, Issue, and Record & Library.

The General Administrative Department was created in 1950 for dealing with matters concerning improvement in the quality and standards of the general administration in the state by providing manpower, infrastructure and capacity building support to the Division, District and Sub-Divisional level administrative set up and monitoring of the administrative units at these levels. 

One additional mandate of the department is to look after protocol matters, logistic support to the State Protocol, to the dignitaries and people of the State, for welfare of Ex-Servicemen and Cinema Halls.