To meet or not to meet

Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan's missive urging officers to meet non-officials has sparked a debate. While most bureaucrats welcome the move, others express cautious optimism. Ruchika Chitravanshi, Sanjeeb Mukherjee & Nivedita Mookerji report

- Ruchika Chitravanshi, Sanjeeb Mukherjee & Nivedita Mookerji report

"Sir is not available", "please try after a week", "we are not dealing with this issue": These are among the one-liners that private executives often hear from offices of senior bureaucrats while seeking appointments, according to a partner at one of the Big Four consulting firms. He goes on to add that getting a meeting with secretaries is near impossible. This trend is true across ministries barring some exceptions, another source in the private sector said.

Against this backdrop, a recent letter by Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan, urging senior officers to meet non-officials from various backgrounds to understand ground realities and get valuable feedback, has sparked a debate. Several former bureaucrats Business Standard spoke to seemed to suggest that not meeting people from the external world was hardly a matter of choice in the government.

In any case, meetings and interactions have been a way of life in the government all along. In fact, Somanathan, a 1987-batch IAS officer from Tamil Nadu cadre, sent out a circular to secretaries in the central government and all chief secretaries last year soon after taking charge as cabinet secretary. "As the existing practice, officers and others who wish to meet the cabinet secretary may seek appointment by sending an email...," the circular dated October 18, 2024, said. The circular, which came within two months of him taking charge as the top bureaucrat, also introduced an open house on trial basis.

While highlighting a "perceived reluctance" on part of senior officials in holding such meetings, Somanathan's letter said: "Meeting visitors can give insights into the actual state of affairs in the field, help detect or clarify miscommunications or misunderstandings about the government's policy or intentions, give access to new ideas, and provide an opportunity to rectify mistakes."