Govt plan to curb ‘bureaucratic overreach' in cabinet meetings
2
Bhubaneswar: The BJP govt under chief minister
Mohan Charan Majhi
has moved to restore
ministerial authority
in cabinet proceedings by implementing stricter protocols that limit bureaucratic involvement in the decision-making process.
In a significant departure from previous practices, the parliamentary affairs department has issued directives mandating that the cabinet agenda be shared with ministers at least two working days before meetings, with meeting notices to be circulated five days in advance.
Under the new guidelines, circulated by Surendra Kumar, additional chief secretary of the parliamentary affairs department, ministers will lead discussions on their departmental agenda items, followed by deliberations by cabinet members.
Department secretaries will no longer be permitted to sit in the cabinet room and will only participate when specifically called upon for their expertise. The secretaries will not take part in discussions except when asked for their opinion. Only the chief minister, ministers, and secretary to the cabinet (chief secretary) will be inside the cabinet room. Prior permission of the CM will be necessary to bring any agenda in the cabinet.
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The move aligns with the Odisha govt Rules of Business, Part III, which explicitly states that ministers should provide observations on their departmental matters in cabinet meetings. The new administration claims this change will correct what they term as '
bureaucratic overreach
' that had allegedly developed under the previous govt.
Explaining the decision, revenue minister Suresh Pujari said on Tuesday that the govt move is meant to "restore" the system.
"Under the previous BJD administration, the roles of political leadership were undermined. Ministers were not privy to many things even in their departments. The govt will only re-implement the existing rules so that everyone performs their defined roles," Pujari said.
The minister said in the past, rules were violated in the cabinet. Secretaries of all departments whose agenda were to be discussed in the cabinet, sat through the entire duration.
Now, officers of one department will not be part of the discussion of another. The same has already been implemented in the last cabinet meeting held on May 14.
Pujari said under the previous govt, the principal secretary of a department would present the agenda and not the minister. Now, ministers are initiating the discussion. The same will be more strictly implemented, the minister added.
Countering Pujari, BJD MLA Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo said a govt's efficiency is never judged by the process but by the action on the ground. "The BJP govt should stop indulging in gimmicks and work so that the people of Odisha get the benefits," Deo said.
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