In a clear indication towards doing away with ambiguity in decision making on significant issues, all the key economic ministries have prepared a list of important goals which they had set between 2009 and 2014 (the tenure of UPA-II Government).
According to highly placed sources, the ministries have been asked by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to prepare power point presentations analysing these goals and their current status, which are to form a part of the meeting which Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take next week.
Sources told The Pioneer that issues ranging from giving away mining leases, tackling rising fuel subsidy bills, expediting coal linkages to power and steel sectors and clearing road blocks in environmental clearances to various energy projects, would form a part of presentations which are being prepared in the Finance, Petroleum, Mines, Coal, Power and Steel Ministries for next week’s meeting at the PMO.
Interestingly the departments will also be listing at least 10 such rules or procedures in their presentations, which they feel, have become redundant over the years and have been hampering decision making process. Sources privy to the development said that chances are high of several such rules and even archaic Acts getting junked in the coming days with the aim of smoothening decision making process within the Government.
The directions received by the ministries from the Cabinet Secretary on behalf of the PMO, say that goals set for 2009-14 should be analysed and these be included in the presentations which they will be making before the PM next week. As reported earlier, Modi is to meet Secretaries of all ministries, where they will be making power point presentations before him, highlighting goals and key issues related to their respective departments.
The ministries have even been directed to increase collaborations among themselves in order to cut down on time in decision making and even reduce layers in departmental decision making to up to maximum four levels.
Incidentally, the directions from the PMO to the economic ministries have come at a time when in a significant development, Petroleum Ministry has indicated that it could take a call on implementing the new gas price regime before July 1. This is one decision on which the UPA Government had been dithering owing to its political ramifications, whereas a clear signal on it has come within 10 days of the Modi-led BJP Government having assumed charge at the Centre.
Official sources said that this instance seems to be a clear indicator towards a more pro-active style of decision making at the top level and given the kind of confidence boosting interaction which Modi had with Secretaries of 70-odd ministries on June 4, things are likely to move at a faster pace.
Another pointer towards what can be termed as smart governance, is a recent directive to all ministries from the Cabinet Secretary where they have been asked adopt forms and procedures which are “in vogue”, and shorten them wherever possible to a single page format.
In fact, all the departments have been asked to stop seeking irrelevant information and keep official procedures as simple and people-friendly as possible, sources in the know informed.
Given the Prime Minister’s liking for technology, the ministries have even been asked to weed out files and papers and in accordance with rules of record keeping, include digitisation. This exercise, the directive says, is to be achieved within three to four weeks.
Sources further said that all departments, including the economic ones have been directed to follow these guidelines and give their initial action taken report on them by June 9, as the Prime Minister is likely to be apprised on it next week.