It is not weeks but days that the new Narendra Modi government has set as deadlines for all the issues being referred to it. For the first time, the PMO has started giving sharp and precise deadlines on issues on which the Prime Minister needs inputs from his Cabinet colleagues and their ministries.
Discarding the earlier practice of no deadlines being set by PMO, clear deadlines are now being mentioned in the PMO communications to ministries. The deadlines range between three to seven days. The deadlines are being set irrespective of the issue at hand and all notes coming from the PMO are coming with a date by which the reply needs to come.
As a result, the flurry of activity atop Raisina Hill is beginning to show, with top bureaucrats on their toes to clear the files and route them back to the PMO at the earliest. A clear indication of the changing work culture in the Union home ministry came when top government officials revealed that the Union home secretary has decided to personally visit the various divisions of the ministry. Taking a cue from the PMO, many ministers have been visiting all the sections in their ministries.
“The home secretary had indicated his desire to visit the various divisions to ensure the work is being carried out smoothly,” an official said.
The trickle-down effect is such that joint secretaries, directors and even the staff officers and karamcharis are in an overdrive to remain on top of their respective jobs. Beginning last week, all divisions in the MHA dealing with critical issues of left-wing extremism to burning issues of internal security have asked their staff to also focus on creating a healthy working environment, which would also enable faster and smoother dispensation of files.
The clutter of old and discarded files and paperwork is being done away with in both the MHA and department of personnel and training at North Block.