‘Connect, Seek Feedback’: PM Modi’s Advice To First-Time Ministers In His Cabinet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a recent cabinet meeting, advised his juniors, most of them first-time ministers to reach out to older colleagues and seek feedback.

“With many of us handling a ministry for the first time, the Prime Minister advised us to reach out to our older colleagues, experienced officers and other people in the department. It was conveyed that the amount of experience that could come from these people would eventually be very beneficial for us,” a source told News18.

In the recent Lok Sabha elections, Modi became the PM for the third time in a row, the only second person to do so. He has also been the longest serving chief minister of Gujarat before his tenure as the PM began in 2014.

Another source also told News18 that Modi had another piece of advice for his colleagues. “The PM thought it was important for each one of us to visit various departments within our ministry and connect with the officials who are working there, seek constant feedback and learn from them,” the source said.

In an earlier cabinet meeting of the Modi 3.0 government, the PM had advised his colleagues to focus on delivery of governance and the agenda for the first 100 days, instead of being in a rush to go to the constituency for their victory celebration.

“The advice comes from his vast experience as an administrator and also from his practical learnings during the process. He’s always ready to help even the most experienced colleagues get clarity on complicated issues,” a source aware of the issue told News18.

While speaking about his experience, on multiple occasions, PM Modi has mentioned how he learned from a veteran such as Pranab Mukherjee who was the President when he took charge.

The task is cut out for the government. Even before winning the election and taking oath, Modi had conveyed to the people that work will begin as soon as the government is sworn in.

In comparison to the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in power is a bit different this time, with coalition partners. With the BJP scoring 240 seats, allies such as the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Janata Dal United (JDU) played a key role in touching the majority figure of 272 and the formation of the government .

A bigger cabinet was sworn in on June 9, in comparison to what was seen in 2014 and 2019. A total of 71 ministers, including the PM, took oath.