All the PM8217;s men

The office itself has a simple occupancy plan: six joint secretaries in the ground floor chambers and the Prime Minister and his key aides on the first floor.

Team Manmohan has Congress favourites Minister of State Prithviraj Chavan, Joint Secretary Pulok Chatterji, Security Advisor M K Narayanan and others whom the PM handpicked, like Principal Secretary T K A Nair and Private Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam. His other private secretary, Vikram Doraiswamy, was inherited from the Vajpayee team.

IAS and IFS officers8212;some have done stints here in the past but others, like Joint Secretaries R Gopalakrishnan and Sanjay Mitra, are new to the job8212;make up the rest of the team.

Soon after he took charge, Manmohan Singh called this 8216;A8217; team to the conference room on the first floor and gave them a brief: PMO officials must speak their mind on the file and do some out-of-the box thinking.

A new edge
EIGHT months on, you can detect an air of vibrancy. While his predecessors chose to work out of the Race Course Road RCR complex, Singh decided on a functional PMO.

So it8217;s after a decade8212;Vajpayee rarely visited the PMO8212;that the Prime Minister8217;s morning engagements are again being scheduled in office. The afternoon meetings are slotted for RCR. The PMO8217;s ornate Cabinet room too is fully functional: Most Cabinet meetings now take place here.

This PMO, point out some officials, is top-heavy. Very unlike the previous one, used to the domineering workstyle of Vajpayee8217;s Principal Secretary Brajesh Mishra and the single-window clearance system.

Singh8217;s office has, by now, developed its own persuasive character. In many ways, the tone has been set by Nair, often the last to leave office. Nair, who worked under I K Gujral in the PMO, expands on his new role: 8216;8216;This PMO is 100 per cent different, a fully functional secretariat. Our idea is to carry forward the Prime Minister8217;s vision of creating an inclusive society where there is greater participation for the less privileged.8217;8217;

One of Nair8217;s initiatives has been a monthly working lunch, a sort of PMO brain-storming for senior staff including its seven Directors and three Deputy Secretaries in the conference room. On other days, Joint Secretaries join the PMO8217;s 8216;lunch club8217; in OSD Rohit Khera8217;s room, the fare provided by the Railways, which handles the PMO8217;s catering. Key aides like Nair, Narayanan and Media Advisor Sanjaya Baru are often spotted carrying their dabbas to work.

Ideas factory
THERE8217;S greater access and transparency in the PMO which, some old-timers say, just may be excessive. The PM8217;s pool of advisors also seems to be on the rising curve. Former World Bank advisor Dr D Subba Rao is the latest to join the elite club as full-time Secretary of the PM8217;s Economic Advisory Council; however, he works out of Vigyan Bhavan.

Several lengthy presentations are being mounted for the PM by independent experts, the most recent by Nandan Nilekani of Infosys on urban renewal and another by activist Pradip Prabhu on environment and tribal policies.

Aides claim they work hard at running the place in a non-hierarchical fashion. As proof, you can spot the heavyweights dropping in unannounced into each other8217;s rooms.

But given Rajya Sabha MP Prithviraj Chavan8217;s appointment as Minister of State in the PMO and with two others in the MoS rank the late J N Dixit, National Security Adviser, and Narayanan, portfolio management among men who matter is key to cohesive functioning.

Dixit8217;s death has left a visible gap in the hierarchy which, officials say, will soon be filled, whether Narayanan continues as NSA or not. Chavan, for one, appears to be in the thick of the consultation process that has followed Dixit8217;s death, and admits several strategic experts and former diplomats have met the boss.

Says Chavan: 8216;8216;The NSA handled a lot, he was all over the place. Some appointment will be made and a redefinition of the role of the NSA may also be on the cards.8217;8217;

About his own role in the PMO, he says: 8216;8216;The PMO gives me a bird8217;s eye view of how the government runs. Like others, I too try and take some burden off the Prime Minister, to allow him more time for actual economic governance and require him to spend less time on protocol duties.8217;8217;

PMO officials claim the 8216;institutional mechanism8217; evolved for coordination between 10, Janpath, and the PMO is working smoothly though there may be occasional overlaps.

Pep talk
WHILE Chavan acts as the interface between the party and the PMO, Pulok Chatterji is the pointperson for all follow-ups on the National Common Minimum Programme NCMP and the National Advisory Council NAC.

Narayanan, currently doubling up as NSA and Security Advisor to PM, elaborates on how the party-PMO relationship has evolved: 8216;8216;This has been the best part of working in this PMO and I haven8217;t seen such level of coordination between the party president and the Prime Minister in any government. They are constantly in touch.

8216;8216;No game of one upmanship is being being played and we ourselves are not running the PMO. We are simply facilitating it.8217;8217;

He concedes that varying models for manning the PMO8217;s national security and internal security desks were being considered and various experts being spoken to. 8216;8216;There are as many options as the many people meeting the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is examining all options,8217;8217; says Narayanan.

As the PMO resolves the NSA issue, the diplomatic lobby is on an overdrive. For one, hinting that the new NSA may not sit in South Block. PMO officials assert that option has been ruled out but hasten to add that a reshuffle of portfolios held by the five IFS officers three at the Director level in the PMO could take place.

It8217;s learnt that following a request for a sixth IFS officer to be attached to the PMO, the Ministry of External Affairs MEA stepped in and indicated that this would make it one too many. And that, ideally, one or two of the PMO8217;s diplomatic corps should revert back to their parent Ministry.

The PMO is also toying with some brave new ideas for administrative reforms within the PMO.

Says Nair: 8216;8216;We began a file-tracking system which is working well. We are now looking at some systemic changes for level jumping. One file is looked at by so many people and this is always not required. There should be application of mind only where required.8217;8217;

And Narayanan adds: 8216;8216;The idea is to cut through the bureaucracy even in the PMO and hasten the pace of decision-making.8217;8217;

THE PM8217;S O
Prithviraj Chavan

As Minister of State, senior-most in PMO8217;s hierarchy. Berkeley-educated aerospace engineer, also a four-time MP. Handles Parliamentary Affairs for the PM as well as the PM8217;s portfolios of Space and Atomic Energy. Attends all CCEA meetings and is routed Cabinet papers. Now pointman for Mumbai upgradation plan and member of the Atomic Energy and Space Commissions.

T K A Nair
Handpicked by the PM, the Punjab cadre IAS officer showed his mettle during the worst period of militancy in the state. In I K Gujral8217;s PMO, now back as its pivotal administrative officer. Like his boss, has a quiet, unobtrusive style but unlike some of his predecessors, has to share his position of eminence with others.

M K Narayanan
Former Intelligence Bureau chief close to the Gandhis. Has a MoS rank and is filling in as NSA after Dixit8217;s demise. Is handling the revamp of intelligence agencies, also inquiring into disappearance of RAW operative Rabinder Singh. Along with Nair, meets PM on a daily basis.

Sanjaya Baru
Combines the roles of Media Advisor and speech writer of the PM. Met Sharda Prasad, Indira Gandhi8217;s veteran media advisor, the day he got appointed. As ex-Editor of The Financial Express and former member of the NSAB, fitted in easily in the PMO. Can sit in on any important PMO meeting, except for Cabinet meetings and security briefings. Was the last PMO official to shift to Government accommodation.

Pulok Chatterji
One of six Joint Secretaries but proximity to Sonia Gandhi means he has extra clout. Worked in the Rajiv Gandhi PMO and then the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. Took over charge of Cabinet Secretariat and Appointment Committee of Cabinet in PMO from Ashok Saikia, Vajpayee8217;s powerful aide. Also handles NCMP, the National Advisory Council as well as sensitive portfolios of Law and Justice, CBI and CVC.

Javed Usmani
An old PMO hand who served a long stint under three former Prime Ministers. Was appointed Minister, Economic Cooperation, in the Kathmandu mission after that. Back in the PMO, coordinating all the heavy sectors and Ministries like Finance, Commerce, Industry, Steel, Power, Petroleum, Shipping, Civil Aviation, Communication and Information Technology.

R Gopalakrishnan
The PMO8217;s point-man for the social sector. Has past experience in working with a Congress CEO as he was Secretary to former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh. Handles Urban Development, Health, Panchayati Raj, Poverty Alleviation, among others, as well as a clutch of states.

Sujata Mehta
The lone women Joint Secretary and among them, the PMO8217;s rep from the foreign service. Like Usmani, a familiar face in the PMO, has worked earlier under three PMs. Liaises between the MEA and the PMO and handles Defence, Space, Atomic Energy and Overseas Indian Affairs. Also in charge of National Security Council.

Sanjay Mitra
The first West Bengal cadre officer ever in the PMO and the last to join the Manmohan team. Worked as Secretary to West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu and then appointed Chairman of the West Bengal State Electricity Board. Now handles Labour, Company Affairs, Human Resource Development, Information and Broadcasting and the North-Eastern region.

Rohit Khera
The oldest PMO hand, has been there for over a decade. A former Air Force officer, who has the rank of Joint Secretary but is designated Officer on Special Duty. Important these days since he handles the PM8217;s relief fund. Also in charge of PM8217;s tours, the PMO8217;s security and the PMO8217;s public wing. Also in charge of a clutch of Ministries like Tourism, Parliamentary Affairs, Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports.