Top bureaucrats asked not to travel abroad as Modi takes over

Days before Narendra Modi-led government takes charge, top bureaucrats have been asked not to travel abroad and prepare a report card of successes and failures of the past regime.
Cabinet Secretary Ajit Kumar Seth has written to secretaries of all ministries and departments asking them not to travel abroad this week unless it is to attend most important matters, officials sources said here.
Modi-led NDA government is likely to be sworn in on May 26 evening.
Seth has called a meeting of all the secretaries tomorrow to discuss the presentations prepared by the respective departments to appraise the new Prime Minister, sources said.

Seth has directed officials requiring to travel outside the country for pressing engagements, to seek prior written approval before travelling, they added.
In a separate communication, the Cabinet Secretary has also asked all departments to keep a presentation ready for appraising the new Prime Minister of the achievements as well as failures of the outgoing government.

The presentation is also to list pending issues and steps that need to be taken soon.
Sources said Seth directed that presentations must include things like five important achievements, failures and steps the department would like to take in order to boost the country's economic growth.

He has asked all Central secretaries to write what shouldn't have been done by the previous government and also provide "four or five practical goals/ achievements" which can be pursued "for the next five years", if "freedom is given" to the bureaucrats.
Officials have also been asked to furnish top achievements of their respective Ministry in the last 10 years and the gap between the actual result and the intended plan.