Fast decision making, e-governance in focus under Modi govt

The Narendra Modi government on Monday completed its 100 days in power. It is a government, which wants to make up for what it calls lost time. Coming in the backdrop of the policy paralysis tag which became UPA's acronym, Prime Minister Modi is a man known for his quick decision making. The previous Manmohan Singh government had 62 GOMs and EGOMs, but now they all have been scrapped. Now, decisions are rarely referred to GOMs. To ensure quick disposal of legal cases, Modi has set up the National Data Litigation Grid. Now ministers and senior bureaucrats are expected to take direct orders from the Prime Minister. To control price rise in essential food items, Modi has envisaged a National Food Grid to avoid uncontrolled growth of speculators, which is what happened during the UPA rule. There are online environmental clearances for projects to avoid the bottleneck, which most UPA projects faced. The Land Acquisition Bill will also be modified so that it avoids the delay, which industrial projects faced under the act. These are just a few of the decisions of the Modi government to ensure that governance is not a victim of red tape and delayed decision making. Modi's near control of the bureaucracy and direct communication with not just ministers but alo senior secretaries on a daily basis is an attempt to ensure that the NDA does not become a replica of the UPA. The Congress, of course, accuses Modi of being dictatorial and refuses to accept that the Modi government is fast track. Pressure on the ministers and bureaucrats has increased. They are aware that they are being closely monitored. They also know that they may have to burn the midnight oil to fulfil Modi's 100-day agenda.