Cabinet secretary lists 12 types of secretaries: File throwers, file sitters, latecomers.

On a routine performance review meeting, senior bureaucrats were taken aback by Union Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan's presentation, humorously detailing 12 types of bureaucrats that often create issues. The meeting, held on Tuesday, aimed to improve inter-ministerial consultations and workplace efficiency. Somanathan named a few examples, including officers who approach female colleagues too intimately, those who throw files, and those who call for meetings after 7pm, then arrive late themselves.

The presentation was accompanied by cartoons, many of which were crafted by TOI's renowned cartoonist R K Laxman. Alongside the humorous descriptions, the meeting also included a quantitative analysis, with secretaries of various government departments ranked on performance metrics. The message from the Cabinet Secretary was clear: to streamline meetings and create a conducive work environment.

Somanathan also revealed the government's plans to introduce Deregulation 3.0 in January, aiming to reduce bureaucratic red tape, simplify compliance, and enhance ease of doing business. Furthermore, the Department of Food and Public Distribution raised concerns about nearly 1 lakh railway employees possessing ration cards for free foodgrain under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana.

The department deemed this a disciplinary issue and instructed Railway Board Chairman Satish Kumar to ensure the employees surrender their ration cards.