Ministers asked to revert on progress of action on PM’s tips to boost efficiency

NEW DELHI: Months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave tips to the council of ministers on increasing their efficiency and adopting best governance practices, the ministers now have been asked to give details of compliance and progress on the actionable points of his advice.
Sources said the ministers and their departments were recently asked to submit their response on several issues including procurement of goods and services through the GEM portal, holding ‘tiffin baithak’ with officials, and using social media to disseminate government decisions, to name a few.
TOI has learnt that the concept of tiffin baithak, which Modi had introduced in Gujarat when he was chief minister, focuses on meeting with officials over food. Every official brings his/her own tiffin in meetings and shares the food as well as ideas. They said the ministers were suggested to inculcate this culture as a means of team-building and mutual bonding among peers.
"The government has a huge focus on monitoring and follow-up. This follow up of the actionable tips shortlisted after rounds of meetings of the council of ministers chaired by the PM shows how progress is monitored. We have given the details concerning our departments," said a senior government official.
According to sources, the ministers and their departments were asked to use space technology such as geotagging to reduce leakage and corruption. The ministers were also directed to hold meetings with relevant stakeholders at least once a month and disseminate government schemes on social media showcasing how citizens will benefit from them. They were also asked to give details of grievance redressal mechanisms.
The identified actionable tips for ministers also included meeting at least five officials on a weekly basis to leverage institutional memory and get feedback from teams including office boys, phone operators and others. The ministers were also directed to organise conferences of all state ministers to discuss important issues twice a year and to take steps for faster resolution of court cases.