Ministries to send advanced copy of cabinet notes to Cabinet Secretariat

NEW DELHI: All ministries have been directed to send an advanced copy of draft cabinet notes to Cabinet Secretariat in order to avoid delay in getting their approval as well as to improvise on the quality of such notes.

As per existing instructions, the draft cabinet notes are being furnished to Prime Minister's Office at the stage of inter-ministerial consultation itself.

"In the same light, it has now been decided that the ministries and departments send an advanced copy of the draft cabinet note to the Cabinet Secretariat also at the time when it is circulated to other ministries or departments for comments," the Cabinet Secretariat said in a directive issued to all secretaries of central government departments seeking "strict compliance".

The move is aimed at checking delay in processing these notes for the approval of cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

It follows after the Cabinet Secretariat found that cabinet notes were "procedurally deficient" and lacked desired standard and quality.

In order to make the notes conceptually clear, lucid, well-organised and facilitate smooth decision making during cabinet deliberations, a set of instructions have been compiled.

However, the Cabinet Secretariat had mentioned in its earlier directive as well that some of the notes are not just procedurally deficient but also lack the desired standard and quality in the content.

All secretaries were then asked to give "personal attention" to preparation and finalisation of cabinet notes so that only detect-free notes are forwarded to Cabinet Secretariat and the Prime Minister's Office.