PM angry at being ignored by ministers

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Publication: News Insight
Date: June 17, 2005
URL: http://www.indiareacts.com/nati2.asp?recno=3343

Enraged at key policy decisions coming to the cabinet for approval without his knowledge or consent, prime minister Manmohan Singh has demanded of his ministers to submit all draft and final cabinet notes to his office beforehand. What has galled the PM is that the UPA ministers scorned two letters written by cabinet secretary B.K.Chaturvedi in September 2004 and in March this year instructing that all draft cabinet notes had to be submitted to the PMO and its comments awaited for fifteen days, and a third letter with similar instructions, but in tougher language, was sent on 12 May, exhibiting Manmohan's exasperation with his colleagues. Officials said that the PM has been growingly faced with the ignominy of learning of several new policies awaiting cabinet approval from the newspapers. The 12 May letter signed by P.C.Rawal, secretary coordination in the cabinet secretariat, says that the final cabinet note must also be sent to the PMO, and a copy of it to the cabinet secretariat should clearly state the number and date of the memo to the prime minister's office. "Please refer to cabinet secretary's letter dated 27th September 2004 regarding instructions for finalising notes for consideration of the cabinet which were reiterated in the subsequent letter of 31st March 2005," begins Rawal's letter. "The prime minister has observed that instructions regarding forwarding a copy of the draft note to PMO at the time of inter-ministerial consultations are at times not being followed by ministries and departments." "I am therefore desired to once again bring to your notice that in all cases a copy of the draft note should invariably be forwarded to the PMO at the time of inter-ministerial consultations, and the comment of the PMO should be awaited for 15 days. Further, the comments of the PMO should be taken into account while finalising the cabinet note, but no reference be made to this effect in the note for consideration of the cabinet. However, the fact of having consulted the PMO must be stated in the forwarding letter sent to the cabinet secretariat." The letter concludes that "A copy of the cabinet note in the final form be also forwarded to PMO when the copies of the note are sent to cabinet secretariat. The forwarding memo to the cabinet secretariat should also specifically mention the number and date of memo vide which the note has been sent to the PMO."
 

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