Prime Minister Manmohan Singh issued instructions today that he would henceforth like to screen all candidates who are being appointed at the level of Secretaries to the Government.Instructions to the effect were issued to Cabinet Secretary Kamal Pande today and assume significance since there is a rush of Secretary-level appointments to be shortly finalised by the UPA Government.The orders for all personal files of bureaucrats being considered for Secretary-level posts being put up to the Prime Minister comes when there are six immediate vacancies and several more slots are expected to fall vacant over the next few months.PMO officials pointed out that Singh’s rationale for the move was that one, he should not be given a fait accompli on key appointments and two, that he would personally like to study the resumes, get to know the backgroud and qualifications of Secretaries before dealing with them either in person or file.In essence, the PM’s directive means the PMO will be the final filter for all Secretary-level appointments, despite the labyrinthine process of selection handled by the Cabinet Secretariat and the Department of Personnel. Officials said that for key Ministries, the possibility of the PM calling selected or even shortlisted bureaucrats for a personal interaction can’t be ruled out.
