**Executive Summary**
Dr. Jitendra Singh conducted a New Year review of the Ministry of Personnel, emphasizing the need to shed colonial-era practices and align administration with Indian values. He also focused on improving communication, simplifying procedures, and automating processes for enhanced governance. The date of the review is recorded as January 14, 2026.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Communication and Hierarchy:**
* Minister invited all officials to express their views candidly.
* Free inter-personal communication without hierarchical barriers is essential.
* **Review of Practices:**
* Many current practices are drawn from pre-Independence conventions and require review.
* Every desk officer must examine existing procedures to identify what is no longer relevant.
* Indianisation of administrative practices in line with Indian values and contemporary governance is needed.
* **Performance Appraisal:**
* Performance appraisal systems (APR/APAR) must become simpler, objective, and outcome-oriented.
* Integrity and transparency in assessment are crucial.
* Simplification and automation reduce subjectivity and bias.
* **Career Progression:**
* Address concerns about stagnation, especially at the Under Secretary level.
* Deploy officers in areas aligned with their experience and expertise.
* Ensure a balanced approach to wider exposure and capacity building.
* **Reforms:**
* Move away from outdated, feudal-era practices.
* Transition to a citizen-centric and technology-enabled framework.
* Automation, simplified procedures, and reduced paperwork are key.
* **Future Reviews:**
* Future review meetings will be more inclusive.
* Engaging officers at the cutting-edge level will provide valuable insights.
**Impact Analysis**
**All Ministry of Personnel Officials**
* **Impact:** Expected to candidly express views and participate in reviews, adapt to new communication norms, and contribute to streamlining procedures. Affected by changes in performance appraisal and career progression policies.
* **Action Required:** Review existing procedures and traditions, implement automation and simplification efforts, and adapt to revised appraisal systems.
**Senior Officers (e.g., Shri S.D. Sharma, Shri Puneet Yadav, Shri Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, Smt. Sarita Chauhan)**
* **Impact:** They are involved in the review process, contribute to reform design, and responsible for implementing the minister's directives.
* **Action Required:** Implement actionable ideas from discussions, design and implement reforms, and ensure inclusive and practical processes.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions: The central ministry under review, responsible for personnel management, public grievance redressal, and pension policies in India.
Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT): A key department within the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, responsible for personnel management and training.
Dr. Jitendra Singh: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, who conducted the review.
Chintan Shivir: A platform facilitating discussions and inputs for administrative reforms.
APR/APAR: Performance appraisal systems discussed during the meeting for their simplification, objectivity, and outcome-orientation.
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
Dr. Jitendra Singh conducts New Year review of
the Ministry of Personnel up to the hierarchy's
lowest rung, including officials of the junior level
During the meeting, the Minister invited every official to
express his or her views frankly and candidly, and said, free
inter-personal communication without the barriers of
hierarchy or protocol was essential for the healthy functioning
of any administrative agency
The Minister highlighted that many official practices being
followed today are drawn from pre-Independence
conventions and need a critical review
Time to shed colonial-era practices, align administration with
Indian values, says Dr Jitendra Singh
Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh stresses simplification,
automation to strengthen personnel governance
प्रव तथ: 14 JAN 2026 6:11PM by PIB Delhi
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Minister of
State for PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh,
today conducted a New Year review of the Ministry of Personnel up to the hierarchy's lowest rung,
including officials of the junior level.
During the meeting, the Minister invited every official to express his or her views frankly and candidly,
and that he was ready to take note of every word said. He said, free inter-personal communication without
the barriers of hierarchy or protocol was essential for the healthy functioning of any administrative
agency.
The Minister highlighted that many official practices being followed today are continuations of pre-
Independence traditions and need a critical review. He said every desk officer must consciously examine
existing procedures and traditions to identify what is no longer relevant in a democratic, technology-
driven India. “There is a need for Indianisation of administrative practices in tune with Indian values and
contemporary governance needs,” he said.Dr. Jitendra Singh emphasised that performance appraisal systems such as APR/APAR must become
simpler, more objective and outcome-oriented. The minister said that integrity and transparency in
assessment are essential, as the same system impacts both appraisal and career progression. Simplification
and automation, he said, would reduce subjectivity, minimise bias and benefit both employees and
organisations.
During the meeting, the Minister also discussed the issue of career progression and domain specialisation
in civil services. Referring to concerns raised about stagnation after long years at the Under Secretary
level, he highlighted the importance of deploying officers in areas aligned with their experience and
expertise, so that institutional knowledge is preserved and effectively utilised. At the same time, he
stressed the need for a balanced approach to ensure opportunities for wider exposure and capacity building
across services.
The discussion also covered ongoing reforms under capacity-building initiatives, including role-based
training and restructuring of job roles to make them more meaningful and effective. The Minister noted
that platforms such as Chintan Shivir provide valuable inputs for such reforms and directed that actionable
ideas emerging from these deliberations should be implemented in a time-bound manner.
Dr. Jitendra Singh reiterated the government’s commitment to moving away from outdated, feudal-era
practices and towards a more efficient, citizen-centric and technology-enabled administrative framework.
He said that automation, simplified procedures and reduced paperwork would help officers focus on
outcomes rather than processes, in line with the vision of “Maximum Governance, Minimum
Government”.
The Minister also said that such review meetings in future would be made more inclusive. He noted that
engaging with officers at the cutting-edge level of administration would provide valuable insights into
ground-level challenges and operational realities, helping the Ministry design reforms that are practical,
balanced and responsive to the needs of all stakeholders.
The meeting was attended by senior officers including Shri S.D. Sharma, Joint Secretary; Shri Puneet
Yadav, Additional Secretary, DARPG; Shri Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, Additional Secretary, DoPT; and Smt.
Sarita Chauhan, Joint Secretary, DARPG, among other senior officials from the ministry.*****
NKR/AK
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