Paper leak

The leaking of sensitive papers from government offices has created a furore among senior bureaucrats in the ministries. Five officials have been tasked with cleansing the system within the government. Ajit Doval, National Security Adviser, Ajit Kumar Seth, Cabinet Secretary, Dineshwar Sharma, Director, Intelligence Bureau, Rajinder Khanna, Chief of the Research and Analysis Wing, and BS Bassi, Commissioner of Delhi Police, are working in tandem to nab the culprits. The latest reports suggest that Doval is driving the surveillance operation and major infrastructure in ministries to sensitise officials about files that hold importance for Modi’s economic reforms. Sharma is working actively to expose the rot in various other ministries. This exposé was started due to the adjudication of the Panna-Mukta and Tapti oil and gas fields of Reliance Industries in 2011. If insiders are to be believed, Reliance Industries was informed of the developments but one of their higher officials did not pay heed. Finally, Cabinet Secretary Seth decided not to circulate sensitive documents to ministries in advance. He has put in place a mechanism to circulate the papers just an hour before meetings to prevent leaks. It is learnt that Seth plans to do away with hard copies of Cabinet notes by handing over a tablet to each Union Minister containing soft copies before the meeting.