Governance review: Union ministers to present reforms outcome

New Delhi: In a mid-term stocktaking exercise, all Union ministries have been asked to catalogue department-wise reforms undertaken since 2024 across four broad categories, with Union ministers likely to present the findings at upcoming Cabinet meetings, sources said. The directive follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first Cabinet meeting at his new official office, Seva Teerth, where he pushed what sources described as a "reform express" agenda and asked the ministers to draw up time-bound roadmaps for policy transformation.

The Cabinet Secretariat has written to all ministries to prepare an executive summary of reforms across departments under their charge before March 2, sources told ET. The reforms are to be classified into four segments - changes in Acts (legislative reforms), changes in rules (statutory reforms), changes in policies and other administrative reforms - with a clear assessment of their impact, sources said. These summaries will form the basis of formal presentations likely to be made by ministers.

According to sources, a standardised template has been circulated, requiring ministries to detail not only the nature of reforms but also measurable outcomes, particularly improvements in ease of doing business and ease of living - key governance priorities of the NDA government.


Several Union ministers held meetings on Tuesday after the Cabinet meeting to review the work of various departments under the purview of their ministries. Over the past few months, the Prime Minister has conducted department-wise reviews with ministers, secretaries and senior officials to assess progress on major initiatives and flag bottlenecks. The present exercise is seen as a consolidation of those reviews into a structured performance assessment.

The timing is politically significant, coming as the government approaches the second anniversary of its third term - a phase often associated with course correction and recalibration. Sources indicated that a redistribution of roles and responsibilities cannot be ruled out, especially as the ruling BJP moves to finalise its new organisational team. Sources said the presentations will offer a comprehensive snapshot of ministerial performance. "It is essentially a reform audit with forward-looking implications," a senior source noted.