Top bureaucrats to meet PM Narendra Modi today, they will get 10 minutes to give 10-slide presentations

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet secretaries of all departments on Tuesday and get a briefing on the various sectors. The top babus have told to be brief in their presentation and according to a circular issued on Saturday, each secretary would be given 10 minutes' time to present a 10-slide presentation.

Sources said nine groups have been formed with all economic ministries clubbed together. For instance, finance is part of group A, while secretaries of the energy-related departments — power, coal and atomic energy — are in group B, and infrastructure in group C. The classification runs from A to G.

Apart from these, there are two other groups. But the presentations may not take place on Tuesday as Modi may just interact with the secretaries and call them for presentation later.

Modi, who has promised to strengthen governance and streamline delivery of public services, is expected to give a glimpse of his policy priorities to the top babus. The PM has already asked his ministers to prepare a 100-day agenda for their departments.
On Tuesday, the secretaries of various ministries will meet the PM and later they will present their policy vision to Modi in groups. A cabinet minister said Modi's meeting with the ministers and then with the secretaries will set the tone and direction of the new government. "Once the indication comes from the PM, all of us can start working to finalize the plans and programmes," said the minister, who did not wish to be identified.

During the day, all key ministries were abuzz with talk that every secretary had been asked to put a power point presentation before the PM. A senior official said the exercise by PMO was aimed at identifying deliverable goals while making top bureaucrats accountable.

"We have been asked to keep our presentations ready, outline ministry's vision and suggest immediate plans as well as explain bottlenecks due to which projects have been delayed," said a senior official. "So far only a circular has been issued to all secretaries to be present at Panchvati (in the PM's residence) on Tuesday evening for interaction with the PM," said a secretary.

The move shows the Modi administration is focusing on delivery and project implementation as its strategy to revive growth, which has been below the 5per cent mark for two consecutive years. Soon after the PM was sworn-in, top bureaucrats in various ministries were dusting out the BJP manifesto and plans for its implementation.