Latest news with #TVSomanathan
The Print
7 days ago
- Business
- The Print
TV Somanathan's letter is a reminder—civil servants must roll out the red carpet for investors
His instincts, and indeed those of his boss PM Modi, may be the exception rather than the rule in India's system of government. TV Somanathan is not an ordinary civil servant. He secured second rank in the 1987 Civil Services Examination, holds a PhD in Economics, and has served in different positions abroad. He was selected by the World Bank for its Young Professionals Program and served several stints in senior positions. Before becoming Cabinet Secretary, he served as expenditure secretary and then as the finance secretary in the Finance Ministry where he deftly steered a fiscally responsible path. He was also a key person in the PMO during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first term. Safe to say he knows what makes for good economics and how efficient systems of civil services work. What he says would also have the endorsement of the Prime Minister. What India's Cabinet Secretary says matters, at least to India's most elite civil service, the IAS. After all, he is the head of the civil services. TV Somanathan, the country's 33rd Cabinet Secretary, made news last week with a missive to his colleagues in the Government of India asking them to grant appointments to, and get feedback from, people who are outside the government, presumably in the private sector and civil society. At one level, it may seem a surprise that Somanathan needed to put this down in writing at all. It should be a regular occurrence. But the machinery of the Indian government needs constant reminders to be responsive and proactive. A turnaround The civil services carry two hangovers from the past. First, its colonial origins. India's steel frame was built by the British to 'control' a large and diverse country. Second, its post-Independence socialist direction where the notion of 'control' moved to every level of the economy. The 1991 economic reforms reduced government control over the economy, but they also brought regulation, over-regulation. The reason that India hasn't grown at the speed of a South Korea or China or Vietnam is because the machinery of the government still holds on to the 'commanding heights'. It doesn't let the power of entrepreneurship and the immense talent of Indian individuals flourish. An added complexity in the post-liberalisation era is the nature of the relationship between the government and the private sector. The last years of the scam-ridden UPA government gave rise to angry popular perceptions of crony capitalism. This only reinforced pre-1991 prejudices about the nature of private enterprises. The legitimacy of India's experiment with the market economy depended on it. The Modi government had to correct this perception, and it has done so with some degree of success. The fact that the government can run an untainted Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme where it actually gives money to private sector firms which increase their scale of production is a remarkable turnaround from the early 2010s. Nothing comes without a cost, not even the best of intentions. Perhaps one of the unintended consequences of correcting perception is that the officialdom has distanced itself from those who are outside the government. Officials who were perceived to be in too much proximity to outsiders may not have got the kind of roles and responsibilities as their more reticent colleagues. The pendulum may have swung from very cosy to completely cold. One of the points Somanathan makes in his letter is that civil servants should avoid social settings for meetings, sticking to their offices. There is an attempt to find a middle meeting ground. Also read: Civil servants are running India's regulatory bodies. It dilutes institutional independence Turning opportunity into prosperity It is time for India's government machinery to start taking their boss' direction very seriously. The country is in a very opportune moment. Geopolitical and geoeconomic factors favour the prospects of what is the world's fastest-growing major economy with the largest and one of the youngest populations in the world. But we need to work harder to convert opportunity into prosperity. Investors, particularly in manufacturing, are looking for alternatives to China but they will go where they get the best deal and red-carpet treatment. The Chinese learned this decades ago when they, very proactively, lured companies from Japan and South Korea which were predominant manufacturing countries. Vietnam has already learned this. India hasn't. That officials have to be told to meet people from outside the government system is hardly the sign of a red-carpet economy. In fact, officials should be dialling investors and asking them what the government can do to make them put their capital in India. They should do everything it takes to make India an economy that grows at 8-10 per cent per year. 6-7 per cent is good, but not enough. Of course, to ensure that officials don't feel completely out of their comfort zones, meetings can still happen in government offices. The author is Chief Economist, Vedanta. His X handle is @nayyardhiraj. Views are personal. (Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)
Hindustan Times
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Govt constitutes National Crisis Management Committee under amended DM Act
NEW DELHI: The government on Wednesday constituted the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) under the recently amended Disaster Management Act to address situations involving major disasters with national ramifications. Raisina Hill area during sunset in New Delhi on July 7 (PTI FILE) The Disaster Management Act (Amendment) Act, 2025, which came into force on April 9, provided statutory status to certain organisations such as the National Crisis Management Committee, which had been in existence long before the 2005 Act was enacted. On Wednesday, the ministry of home affairs notified the Disaster Management National Crisis Management Committee (Procedure) Rules, 2025 and constituted the committee under cabinet secretary TV Somanathan. The home secretary, defence secretary, secretary (coordination) at the Cabinet Secretariat, and the member and head of department of the National Disaster Management Authority will be its members, the notification said. The home ministry order said NCMC would be 'the apex body for dealing with the situation arising out of a major disaster, which has national ramifications'. 'The chairperson of the NCMC may co-opt any expert or any officer either from the central government or the state government or any organisation, depending on the nature of the crisis, to assist the committee in performing its functions during a threatening disaster situation, an emerging disaster situation or a disaster,' the notification said. It added that NCMC would evaluate preparedness to respond to any threatening disaster situation, emerging disaster situation or disaster and give directions, where necessary, for enhancing such preparedness. 'The NCMC shall give such directions as may be necessary for the proper coordination and monitoring of disaster response in the country,' the order added. Currently, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has 16 operational battalions with a combined sanctioned strength of 18,581.
New Indian Express
21-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Heed Cabinet Secretary's call for ear to the ground at lower levels too
Indian bureaucracy needs to have a finger firmly on the nation's pulse—that seems to be the sum and substance of a recent letter by the Cabinet Secretary addressing senior central government officers. The country's top bureaucrat, T V Somanathan, has encouraged secretaries in all ministries and departments to meet non-government officials and other representatives to gain 'insights into the actual state of affairs in the field'. Somanathan has asked senior officers to be accessible to non-officials who seek meetings in connection with the work of their departments, even to those 'under a law enforcement action or investigation' or with a contractual dispute with the department. This, he wrote, would help the government clarify any miscommunication regarding policies, facilitate more direct exchange of ideas, and provide an opportunity to correct errors. The letter also addresses bureaucrats' disinclination to meet contractors, NGO representatives, trade union leaders, and political party workers. Importantly, it outlines the appropriate protocols for such meetings—they should be held in official settings, not at social venues such as clubs or hotels, and that another officer could be in attendance if such precaution is warranted.
Economic Times
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Economic Times
Step out of that old Bureau bubble
Senior bureaucrats have long been perceived - with justification - of being one big old boys' club, wary of meeting people from outside 'governmentdom'. The origins of this apprehension are unclear, but the Lakshman Rekha doubling as an echo chamber has taken root probably because bureaucrats, like people in general, like hearing only things they like to hear. In a welcome gesture, Cabinet secretary T V Somanathan recently issued a memo, urging secretaries to GoI and other senior officials to engage more openly with people outside the bureaucracy. This includes representatives from trade unions, political parties, NGOs, the private sector (Indian and foreign), and chambers of commerce. Such interactions, Somanathan noted, can offer valuable and deeper insights into sectoral trends, different PoVs, and clear up misconceptions about government policies, introduce new ideas and enable timely course corrections. While some boundaries have been outlined - meetings should be held in offices - the broader push is welcome. It can certainly deepen citizen-governance engagement. Policies may be crafted with the public's best interests in mind, but their implementation often needs fine-tuning. These dialogues and tete-a-tetes also give officials a chance to explain the intent and nuances of laws to those who may have concerns. That's precisely why draft policies are routinely published on ministry websites for public consultation. Isolating and insulating policymaking from public feedback is not just bad for the quality of policy, it also weakens the overall structure of governance. Engagement builds trust, identifies blind spots, and ensures that final outcomes are both effective and seen as legitimate by those they affect: the citizenry.
Indian Express
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Secretaries, senior officials must meet people not associated with govt: Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan
Secretaries and other senior officials of the central government will now have to shed their reluctance in giving appointments to common people not associated with the government and take out time to meet them as much as possible, considering existing time constraints and their busy schedules, The Indian Express has learnt. In a recent communication to central government secretaries, Cabinet Secretary Dr T V Somanathan said he has learnt that secretaries to the Government of India and other senior officials are reluctant to give appointments to people who are not government officials but would seek a meeting in connection with the work of their ministries. He said that meeting visitors can provide insights into the current situation in the field, help identify or clarify miscommunications or misunderstandings about government policies or intentions, introduce new ideas, and offer opportunities to rectify mistakes. Somanathan said this while acknowledging that senior officers, at times, are unable to give appointments due to their busy schedules. He also specifically mentioned that secretaries and other senior officials can even meet such people in their office who are receiving some benefit from, or are contractors of, the department. According to Somanathan, they can also meet people from trade unions, political parties, or NGOs, and those from the Indian or foreign private sector, or a chamber of commerce. They can meet people facing law enforcement actions, investigations, or contractual disputes with the department, including those matters that are sub-judice or under arbitration. He, however, mentioned that such meetings should only be held in their offices and not in social settings, clubs, or hotels, adding that if required, another official can also be present in such a meeting as a precaution. Speaking about the matter, a senior government official admitted that there is indeed reluctance in meeting people not associated with the government among senior bureaucrats in the central government. 'Often officials try to ensure safety for themselves and avoid having a meeting with those from outside the government to avoid a situation which they fear can backfire later on them in some other context,' the official told The Indian Express. 'As a result, some genuine people seeking meetings on critical or relevant matters are affected,' the official added.
