I have extra will for more reforms, says Narendra Modi

New Delhi: Stressing the need to “reform, perform and transform”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said political will was needed for reform, of which there was no dearth in his government. The “perform” part must come from civil servants, while transformation is enabled by people’s participation.

“I do not lack it (political will), rather have an extra bit,” the PM said while addressing bureaucrats on Civil Service Day.

 Narendra Modi tells why he banned mobiles at meetings
Mr Modi said civil servants must ensure that every decision was taken while keeping the national interest in mind. He noted that anonymity was one of the greatest strengths of the civil services. He cautioned officers that the use of social media should not lead to a decline in this strength, as social media and mobile governance are leveraged to connect people to benefits and government schemes.

Mr Modi said he banned mobile phones at his meetings as he often found officers checking social media sites in the middle of discussions. “I see these days that district-level officers are so busy, busy, that most of their time goes into it (social media). I have stopped the entry (of mobiles) in my meetings as they (officers) would take them out and start (checking out social media sites),” he said.