2030 key focus for double-engine PMO in Modi 3.0
Since February, the PMO has been operating for the first time with two full principal secretaries, PK Mishra and Shaktikanta Das.
As the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government marks 11 years in power, the key focus for the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) is not just 2047, the stated target for achieving the goal of Viksit Bharat (developed India), but 2030, which is the “big planning deadline for important projects”, according to an official directly familiar with the matter.
Since February, the PMO has been operating for the first time with two full principal secretaries, PK Mishra and Shaktikanta Das. That has effectively doubled the management bandwidth, the person cited above explained. “Before, the PMO would be able to take a call on something, say in 15 days. But now, with both officers, it is possible to do so in seven days,” explained the person cited above, asking not to be named.
Under Modi, especially, the PMO has become front and centre of policy and governance, pushing through key reforms, and overseeing the implementation of important projects.
Mishra, 76, is from the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) batch of 1972, and was additional principal secretary in the first Modi government with Nripendra Misra being the principal secretary. By NDA 2, Nripendra Misra had moved out of PMO and PK Misra took on the main mantle and shouldered the work alone. Das is from the 1980 batch.
“The load is too much for one person, quite a few verticals,” said a second person familiar with the work of the PMO.
While both officers get involved on major issues, HT learns that other responsibilities have been carefully divided between the two. Agriculture, education, health are the ministries assigned to Das, 68, apart from his areas of expertise –– finance and economy. HT also learns that PK Mishra manages appointments, looking at officers who can man crucial posts.
Academic and author of the book PMO: Prime Minister’s Office Through the Years, Himanshu Roy, said that the current model was quite similar to Indira Gandhi’s PMO where PN Haksar was principal secretary while PN Dhar was secretary. Both men at the time were from Kashmir; interestingly, both Das and Mishra are from Odisha.
“Haksar used to be secretary and that was the senior most position in PMO. When he retired, however, there was a question about which designation suited him best. It was then that this post (of principal secretary) was created and it became the main role, with Dhar becoming secretary,’’ said Roy.
There was no response to HT’s request for a comment from the PMO. A third official, who asked not to be named said, that individuals do not really matter in the system, and that the government itself is constantly evolving with the objective of delivering.
