Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who's known for his strict routine, has laid down the ground rules for his council of ministers -- reach office on time and avoid working from home. The meeting was held last month when PM Modi chaired a gathering of all the MPs who took oath as Union ministers in the newly formed NDA government, reported PTI citing sources. Modi said senior ministers should hand-hold the new incumbents and that they should share files with ministers of states to increase efficiency and productivity.
He also advised ministers to clear pending proposals on time, for which, he said, both Cabinet and his junior colleague could sit together and clear the backlog of files. PM Modi said ministers need to be punctual. He said ministers should reach office on time, discuss latest developments with officials and should avoid working from home. Emphasising that ministers also have a responsibility towards their parliamentary constituencies, Modi advised them to meet people in their constituency more often. He said ministers should also meet MPs in their state to keep in touch with the latest developments in their areas. Talking about the five-agenda of the BJP-led government, Modi advised his ministers to take crucial decisions within the first 100 days of the government.
In its first Cabinet meeting, the Modi government had approved the expansion of the PM-KISAN scheme to cover all farmers, who will be given Rs 6,000 per annum as financial assistance.
During the first official meeting of the ministers with the PM, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar gave a presentation on 'optimal utilisation of Parliament session'. Newly appointed Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman gave a presentation on inviting ideas for the upcoming Union Budget on July 5. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal suggested compiling a five-year vision document for each ministry. The new government's first Parliament session will begin next week. Reports suggest the ministers of states have been given the responsibility to handle questions to be tabled in Parliament, for which oral replies are given.
Also read: India-US relations: Mike Pompeo takes a leaf out of Modi slogan, says 'Modi hai to Mumkin hai'
Also read: PM Modi's advice to his ministers: 'Reach office on time, don't work from home'