Prime Minister Narendra Modi is personally admired for many qualities and attributes, but his time management and ability to focus on development plans impress me the most. The more impressive aspect is that they have implemented this quality in the functioning of the government, due to which its productivity has increased and the target is being achieved on time. Although I have had limited interactions with the bureaucracy, it is clear from the information I have received so far that there has been a fundamental change in the way the government machinery works. On the birthday of Modi, I am sharing some thoughts in this context.
When Modi took office in 2014, promoting bureaucratic efficiency and time management was at the top of his government's agenda to achieve the set goals. Modi did away with red tape at various levels of administration, but more work was needed to bring about a mental change in the system. Even as a grassroots leader, Modi pays special attention to time management. Describing a 1992 incident, a Gujarat worker told me that during a meeting Modi apologized to those present because they were three minutes late.
Modi has shared his views on this subject with everyone, young and old. When he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, he interacted with some school children of Dang district. A child asked him a question on time management, to which he replied, 'There is a general rule of this world for time management. A hardworking person has no problem with time management, but a lazy person always has less time... We all have enough time but don't know how to use it.'
Modi is also known for better time management on his foreign trips. During an official visit to Belgium, the US and then Saudi Arabia in 2016, Modi was reported to have slept in planes instead of hotels so that he would have time to discuss issues. It is said that he spent three nights in Air India One and only two nights in hotels.
Modi came to power with the promise of 'Minimum Government, Maximum Governance' to the people but he faced many challenges, including the 'chalta hai' attitude. The UPA regime had made many officers pessimistic and lowered their morale. There was a strange hierarchy going on, where a file was being handed over from one to the second and from the second to the third without any comments. It was eventually referred to a cabinet committee, which met occasionally to discuss the issues. Modi was taken aback by this incompetent approach. There was no accountability on the officers to complete the work in given time. As a result, what could have been done in a few days would have taken months to complete. Many officers used to come and go to the office at arbitrary times. Within months of Modi taking office, the government introduced the Biometric Attendance System (BAS) to track the attendance of all employees and officers. Their attendance details can now be tracked by anyone on the dashboard.
