Modi tightens Ministries belt, Cut 25% Expenditure

Railways to cut costs, Reduce Staff, Others follow Piyush Goyal Acts fast

Harish Gupta (National Editor, Lokmat Group)

New Delhi, June 23

Acting swiftly on the directions of the Prime Minister, the Railways and other Central ministries have started taking a slew of austerity-measures to cut expenditure.

The ministries have been directed to avoid

holding ceremonial functions physically and move over to  digital platforms. The Railways under Piyush Goyal and , Road Transport under Nitin Gadkari and others used to hold at least 6-7 functions per day on an average. Not anymore.

The Ministries have been told to cut down the use of stationary at least by 50 per cent and identify areas where costs can be cut immediately by 20%-25%.

Among the austerity measures underway, the Railway Minister Piyush Goyal plans for freezing creation of new posts, dumping outsourced work to companies to involve CSR pattern and rationalizing  manpower at its workshops. On the directions of the Minister, the financial commissioner directed GMs  on June 19 that the traffic earnings dropped by 58 per cent at the end of May. It also asked the zones to review contracts, and reduce energy consumption. There is a freeze on creation of any new post except for safety-related posts. All file work be moved to the digital sphere and advised that all correspondence must be done through secure e-mails system.

Earlier, the Modi government had put on hold all proposed foreign training stints for its officials during 2020-21. Any foreign training needed in “exceptional circumstances” will be permitted, but with the prior approval of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), said the June 15 order. The officials are sent for mid-career training programs to  foreign universities, including Harvard, Cambridge, UCLA, Berkeley, Australia and New Zealand.

Last fortnight, the Department of Expenditure had directed the ministries to suspend all new schemes with funding commitments of up to Rs 500 crore till March next year. The order exempts the Covid-related schemes.

Earlier, the Central government had also frozen increments of DA to government employees and pensioners. It was forced to resort to such drastic measures after the government’s revenue receipts hit an all-time low due to Covid-19 and other problems.

Is Modi readying to take oath on May 25 ?

PM Modi to hold Man Ki Baat on May 26

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

New Delhi, May 17

Narender Modi & Amit Shah
At the presser at BJP HQ.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi may not have taken any questions at the presser at party headquarters today. But he gave a clear indication of things to come after the results of grueling Lok Sabha polls are out on May 23.

While claiming that the BJP will form the government with majority of its own, the PM hinted that his government would lose no time and “start working as early as possible”. Obviously, he was telling the nation that he may have taken longer time in 2014 when he took 10 days to form the Cabinet after results were announced on May 16. But not this time. He would not like to take ten days to form the next government and start cracking the whip.

Perhaps, the PM is confident that he is winning hands down and has his plans ready for the next government and 100 days blue print is cut out.

If sources are to be believed the PM will resume his monthly 'Mann ki Baat' broadcast on May 26 at 11 am. While insiders say he may take the oath of office on May 25 itself without much fanfare if he will be short of majority slightly and hold Man Ki Baat. It may be mentioned that he had suspended this monthly radio program in March promising to return after the Lok Sabha polls. He had held 53 episodes of radio broadcast ever since Modi came to power in 2014.

However, the fate and content of Modi's 'Mann ki Baat' broadcast will depend on the outcome of the Lok Sabha elections as the program will continue subject to various permutations and combinations.

Now that Modi is fully conversant of . gang operations and successfully fought them for the past five years, he would not waste time in government formation.

Irrespective of the clear majority his party gets or not, the President will invite him to form the government as the leader of the single largest party after the 17^th Lok Sabha is notified on May 24.

In any case, BJP president Amit Shah extended an invitation of non-BJP non-NDA parties to join the NDA if they believed in its agenda. “Our doors are open to all of them,”

Meanwhile, the BJP has conveyed to all its MPs contesting elections that they should return to the Capital on May 24 immediately after taking the Certificate from the Returning Officer of their respective constituencies declaring them elected