Narendra Modi pulls up secys for lack of ideas

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his disappointment over suggestions made by group of secretaries to reduce the subsidy on urea at a meeting on Saturday.

Mr Modi also pointed out lack of coordination among the group of secretaries, which was formed last year to suggest innovative ideas in various fields of governance.

The PM is learnt to have pulled up the secretaries for failing to thrash out a plan pertaining to the agriculture sector. The secretaries also reportedly came to the meeting without any preparation.

Sources, privy to the development, told The Asian Age that Mr Modi is learnt to have asked the panel to come up with ‘out of the box’ ideas.

“Everyone knows that the dependence on urea needs to be reduced and, therefore, subsidy needs to be cut down on it, therefore what is new in it,” Mr Modi reportedly told the panel, asking it to come up with a solution to the problem.

Mr Modi, sources said, asked the panel if their idea would get the nod could be later implemented as policy measures in future.

He asked agriculture secretary S.K. Pattanayak,  who heads the group of secretaries, to form sub-groups on various sectors such as animal husbandry, fisheries, dairy farming, to thrash out a comprehensive plan.

Sources said that Mr Modi was also not satisfied when he learnt the panel on agriculture reportedly failed to implement measures suggested by the group on science and technology.

Mr Modi, sources said, gave an earful to the panel and asked them to come prepared the next time.

Mr Modi is learnt to have told the group that the basic idea behind forming the eight groups of secretaries on various sectors was to improve governance.

Mr Modi also sought ideas to improve dairy production.