NEW
DELHI: PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday assured the bureaucracy of
protection against malicious prosecution for bona fide decisions, saying
secretaries to the government can approach him or mail him directly
with inputs and ideas on any issue for deciding matters quickly.
At
his first direct interaction with some 72 secretaries who head the
bureaucracy in various ministries on Wednesday, the message from Modi
was clear: Top officers must take their leadership role seriously and be
decisive to make things happen quickly and improve governance.
This
is the first time in eight years that a PM has undertaken such an
exercise and indicates Modi's aim of establishing a direct connect with
the bureaucracy.
The
message was also directed at Modi's ministers: that they could not
treat their portfolios as their personal fiefs and the bureaucrats as
their vassals. By pepping up the bureaucrats to approach him directly,
the PM has sought to open a direct line with the bureaucratic
leadership: perhaps a significant step towards the evolution of
'presidential premiership'.
The
PM's exhortation came after some secretaries said the erosion of the
role of PMO and Cabinet committee on appointments had rendered
bureaucrats vulnerable to ministerial whims, and had narrowed the room
for professional inputs.
(The PM interacts with secretaries of the central government before their meeting on Wednesday)
Sources
said the PM's primer, delivered in a friendly note, made the
secretaries open up. Some 25 secretaries spoke. Fear of prosecution for
doing their job emerged as the main bugbear and the CBI the virtual
elephant in the room.
Section
13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act was particularly
identified as one of the main stumbling blocks. This section broadly
makes a person liable for prosecution if a decision taken by him or her
benefits any party. It was pointed out that nearly all decisions benefit
some section or the other.
(Narendra Modi holding meeting with the secretaries of the central government on Wednesday)
This
section is like a Damocles' sword that hangs over bureaucrats' heads
even long after retirement, which made officials wary of taking
decisions in the wake of telecom spectrum and Coalgate scams. This
brought governance to a standstill during the fag end of the UPA-2
government.
Modi
set an informal tone for the meeting, starting with a free seating plan
around a square table running along the hall. He then put the top
bureaucrats at ease by walking up to each official to shake hands. The
fact that he remembered the names of a number of secretaries helped
break the ice further.
'10-year fatigue'
In
his 20-minute primer, Modi told the secretaries that he would protect
them against negative repercussions of honest decisions. "You don't have
to fear (while doing your job) ... I am available (to protect you),"
sources quoted the PM as saying.
Pointing
out that he was a "team player", Modi asked the secretaries to build
their teams and lead from the front by focussing on issues of
governance. Referring to demoralization in the bureaucracy, sources
said, the PM unequivocally told the officials that their "10-year
fatigue will end ... now you will enjoy working ... you all are talented
people".
Sources
said Modi also quoted former home secretary PC Sethi that "politicians
should learn to say no, while bureaucrats should learn to say yes" to
drive home the point that they must take decisions without fear or
favour. "Work for the people, not for the PM," sources quoted the PM as
saying.
Another
message was to simplify procedures and cut paperwork by weeding out
"outdated and archaic rules, which, instead of serving the process of
governance, are leading to unnecessary confusion". The PM suggested the
secretaries make a beginning by cleaning up offices to "improve the
workplace, which would automatically improve work culture".
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