JOIN USTrying to get a feel of Central government work culture and pull the bureaucracy out of its policy paralysis mode, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday asked all the 77 secretaries to directly contact him if the situation needed an intervention to resolve critical issues for better decision-making.
During the three-hour long meeting, Modi first spoke about his priorities and then opened up the session to listen to top bureaucrats on how they proposed to make the government machinery effective and provide quicker output.
Indicating that the NDA government would be PMO-driven unlike its predecessor, sources said that he encouraged secretaries to get in touch with him either by email or phone to get rid of the indecisiveness that was the hallmark of the previous UPA government which had led to policy paralysis.
At the meeting, Modi called upon the senior bureaucrats to simplify and streamline the administrative rules and procedures to make them people-friendly. He emphasised the need for a team spirit and urged the secretaries to be leaders of their teams.
He also encouraged the officers to take decisions and assured them that he would stand by them. He added that in the process of governance, ideas should be converted into institutions because they last longer than individuals.
He wanted the officers to identify outdated rules and processes which were leading to avoidable confusion and do away with them. The process of governance of his government should begin with cleaning-up of the offices, improving the workplace, which would automatically result in a better work culture and efficient services to the citizens, he added.
Modi empathised with the sentiment expressed by the Secretaries and their anguish in not being able to realise their true potential because of circumstances. However, he expressed full faith in their commitment and competence to build a better future for the country.
The Prime Minister emphasised the need for use of technology for greater efficiency and effectiveness in administration. In a democracy, redressal of citizens' grievances is very important and information technology can help greatly in this regard, he felt.
He said that through use of technology, and better understanding among departments, administrative and schematic convergence is possible. Only through collective action, faster results can be achieved.