The Hindu Business Line : Rightsizing Ministries: Secretaries told to act on PM's suggestions

IN a bid to tone up and streamline the functioning of Union Ministries and Departments, all the Secretaries have been asked to take steps to implement the suggestions made by the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and send in feedback on the action taken to the Principal Secretary, the Prime Minister, and the Cabinet Secretary by November 22.

As a follow-up of Dr Singh's address at the meeting with the top bureaucrats recently, Secretaries have also been advised to draw up a list of key objectives for their respective Ministries and Departments and identify major performance-related milestones to be achieved during the current fiscal as well as next year.

According to a Prime Minister's Office (PMO) statement, the Secretaries have also been requested to draw up innovative action plans for improving the delivery of services related to their Ministries and Departments. They have been urged to prepare a HRD plan for systematic staffing and processing of proposals for appointments; review rules, regulations and guidelines to identify and weed out redundant ones; evolve and establish a performance-related rewards and punishment process and an effective grievance redressal mechanism, where necessary, in each Ministry or Department.