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Rows of white ambassador cars lined up at 7, Race Course Road, the residence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Saturday evening, might have appeared like an emergency Cabinet meeting to a passerby. But in reality the PM was hosting more than 80 secretaries, the key persons responsible for decision-making in the government, telling them to act fearlessly and assuring them there would not be any political interference.
The prime minister sought new ideas for the Union Budget, and governance in general, while asking them to visit the place of their first posting for a couple of days to get new perspectives on policy-making. "We are one team. Let us bring openness in governance, come closer and work together," Modi told the secretaries, according to a government statement. The PM, who wants the Budget-making exercise to be advanced by three months by all ministries, urged civil servants to "build upon" the positive atmosphere generated by his government in the first five months, and shift focus from output to outcome.
Some five months ago, on June 4, Modi had shared some of these thoughts in his first interaction with top bureaucrats. However, the recent bureaucratic reshuffle had sparked fears of uncertainty among officials. The evening of bonhomie was meant to calm the bureaucrats' nerves, besides taking stock of things in the government, said a source describing the purpose of the meeting.
The invitation was for "Diwali tea", but the interaction lasted more than two hours, stretching well into dinner time. The garden at his official residence was the setting the PM chose for an informal conversation. The snacks on offer - dhoklas, pakoras, gulab jamuns, among other dishes - only added to the perfect weather just before the onset of winter.
While the first mega meeting with bureaucrats was held without the presence of any minister, Saturday's high-tea was attended by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance & Defence Minister Arun Jaitley and Parliamentary Affairs & Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu. Top officials in the Prime Minister's Office were also present.
"Good things are starting to happen," the PM said, while telling secretaries to come up with new ideas and proposals for the Budget, to be presented in February 2015. On the 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan', the PM said people were responding to the campaign.
Secretaries opened up to the PM, sources said. They spoke more than they had done five months ago, and it was a two-way communication. They said they had got a new direction to work for the nation under the leadership of the prime minister, a government statement said.
