Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has restructured the way cabinet meetings are held, empowering ministers to take a lead in the discussions and curtailing the role of bureaucrats, senior minister Suresh Pujari said Tuesday.
The cabinet meetings will now see a more proactive participation of ministers, whose role was curtailed during the previous BJD government, he said.
“Earlier, the departmental secretaries presented the matters for discussion in the cabinet meetings. Now, the ministers will take a lead role and not the secretaries. The secretaries may assist the minister,” he told reporters.
“This is nothing new. This has always been the way, but it changed during the previous BJD government,” he said.
A circular issued in this regard by the Parliamentary Affairs Department clearly mentions that the secretaries will not have free access to the cabinet meeting, Pujari said, adding that they would wait in a special room and present themselves when required.
“The cabinet room will now primarily be occupied by the chief minister, cabinet ministers, and ministers of state whose agenda is being discussed, and the chief secretary,” he said.
The May 9 circular, made public Tuesday, also stated that notices for cabinet meetings will ordinarily be circulated at least five days in advance, and all proposals will be finalised three days ahead.
The proposals will be submitted to the ministers two days in advance, and no proposal will be presented in the meeting without the chief minister’s approval, it said.
The circular stated that during discussions, the presiding authority will call upon the minister concerned to present their observations.
“Other ministers may then speak. However, secretaries are strictly prohibited from participating in discussions unless their opinion is specifically requested,” it said.
