Springing into action just three days after being elected to power, the yet-to-be formed Narendra Modi Government is doing its homework to ensure that it has an idea of what is happening in each Ministry and Department when it assumes office.

The Cabinet Secretariat, on Monday, asked the Secretaries of all Ministries and Departments to list achievements and failures and what their goals for the next two-three years would be.

“All Secretaries were asked to answer a set of questions and submit them on Monday itself by the Cabinet Secretariat. Some got less than two hours to do the exercise,” a Government official told Business Line .

The questionnaire asked for details in four areas – the “undisputable’’ achievements of the past, the achievements that could have been attained in a different manner, the targets that were not fulfilled and the goals for the next two-three years.

Another senior official said the sudden questionnaire handed over by the Cabinet Secretariat came as a surprise as all Ministries and Departments had earlier given power point presentations on their specific areas a few days ago.

“The questions seemed a bit confusing. For instance, it’s difficult to say what could have been achieved in a different way. But we tried our best to answer these,” the official said.

The Modi Government, once it assumes office, will have to deal with an economy which has seen better days. The growth forecast in the current fiscal is bleak with many agencies projecting a below 6 per cent figure.

The manufacturing sector continues to be down, while inflation is still high.

“By asking Secretaries to list out failures and possibilities, the new Government probably wants to have a sense of the direction it needs to take,” the first official said.

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