Pursuing the new NDA government's goal of having uncluttered offices, the Women and Child Development Ministry today "reclaimed significant office space by weeding out dead stock furniture and clearing unwanted files and papers".
"Officials were working over the weekend to weed out about 1,800 files and documents and about 1,350kg of files and waste paper which has been handed over for suitable disposal," according to a statement by the WCD ministry.
As part of efforts to improve the work culture in central government offices, bureaucrats have been given a five-day deadline to implement Prime Minister Narendra Modi's directives in that regard, including for repeal of "archaic" processes and streamlining of the decision-making layers.
The instructions were issued by Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth on June 5 as a follow-up to the meeting that Modi held with top bureacrats in which he said that the rules which create hurdles in speedy decision-making should be done away with.
The circular issued by Seth contains 11 points and lays stress on efficient and speedy decision-making in a transparent manner.
All departments have been asked to identify forms that are in vogue and to shorten them, where possible, to one page only while the circular also advises that the seeking of "unnecessary or irrelevant information should be discouraged".
Government departments were also asked to reduce decision- making to a "maximum of four layers".
The circular says files and papers should be weeded out in accordance with rules of record-keeping, including digitisation, wherever necessary, and the exercise should be completed in 3-4 weeks.
Maneka Gandhi is the new Women and Child Development minister.
