After the news of forced retirement of over 300 non-performing civil servents by the central government, a meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi where the PM expressed his unhappiness over the functioning of the Indian bureaucracy.
In the meeting, attended by top IAS officers, PM Modi openly questioned them on the slow decision-making process of the bureaucracy, Hindustan Times has reported.
The PRAGATI meeting was attended by Principal Secretary P K Mishra, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, other top Secretaries and state Chief Secretaries. The PM had reportedly cited 10-year delays in implementation of railway and highway projects.
During the meeting, the prime minister expressed his concern about the bureaucratic decision-making in the country.
The report adds that all the bureaucrats sat in “stunned silence”, as Modi said that not only was he concerned about cost overruns, he was also worried about the loss in economic opportunities and jobs due to these delays.
It must be noted that in a recent speech in the Parliament, Modi had hailed and applauded the Indian private sector for its contribution towards nation building and entrepreneurship.
He had also made a veiled criticism of the Indian bureaucracy in his speech when he had said, “Will the Babus do everything? If one becomes IAS will he/she do everything like running fertiliser industries, chemical industries or flying a plane… What are we going to achieve by handing over our country to Babus? If Babus belong to our country, so do the youth (who work in the private sector).”
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