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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to have a meeting with all government secretaries on Saturday, according to sources. The setting is expected to be more informal and less structured than the last time when Modi had an introductory mega meeting with top bureaucrats of the country soon after taking charge as PM.
This time, the occasion is being described by some as ‘Diwali tea’ and others as just ‘high tea’, which would begin at around 6.30 in the evening. There is likely to be a two-way communication between the PM and the secretaries, as a bureaucrat puts it.
The interaction follows a series of bureaucratic reshuffles that had sparked fears of uncertainty among top government officials. The weekend conversation over tea is expected to lift their confidence.
The previous meeting between the PM and 77 secretaries on June 4 — days after the new government had taken over — had carried on for two-and-a-half hours. The bureaucrats had returned happy after the direct line of contact with the PM, as Modi had sought their views on governance issues and encouraged them to approach him with ideas and inputs to make the government a people-friendly one. After a gap of five months, Modi might like to carry forward that talk, an official indicated.
If the PM spoke about greater use of technology as a tool for communication and keeping cleaner workplaces in the June meeting, on Saturday, he is likely to do a bit of stock-taking in between tea and snacks, a source said.
In the latest reshuffle, 1978 batch Rajasthan-cadre Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Arvind Mayaram, who was finance secretary, was first moved as tourism secretary a fortnight ago, and then was made minorities affairs secretary earlier this week. Mayaram’s batchmate of the same cadre, Rajiv Mehrishi, who was earlier Rajasthan chief secretary, has replaced the former as secretary, Department of Economic Affairs. Among the other major changes, another Rajasthan-cadre IAS officer of the 1979 batch, Lalit Panwar, has been appointed.
Modi’s meeting with bureaucrats comes a day before his radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’, where he is expected to talk about issues close to his heart. This time, Modi has chosen the 11-am slot on Sunday (November 2) on state-owned All India Radio.
