New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked all ministers dealing with the social and infrastructure sector to frame short-term and long-term targets for themsel-ves, and brief him accordingly in a week’s time so that their progress can be empirically monitored by the PMO. There are indications that the PMO will soon have a nodal officer to coordinate and monitor the progress of projects and schemes implemented by different agencies.
In a first-of-its-kind order, Mr Modi also issued an order barring all ministers from handpicking their “personal staff”. This move is seen indicating the PM’s tight control over his team, and to ensure that no minister can run a “hidden agenda”.
Barring ministers from hiring “family members”, sources said, was part of Mr Modi’s “Gujarat model”. The order by the department of personnel lays clear guidelines for the appointment of personal staff attached to ministers. From now on, ministers will have to appoint secretaries and other personal staff only from the “general pool”.
Till now, the rules on the appointment of personal staff were flouted with impunity and ministers named family members like sons and daughters, nephews and nieces to key posts in their departments. A recent example was former railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, who gave posts to several relatives, including nephew Vijay Singla, that finally landed him in a lot of trouble.
