Workshop on preparation of

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• CABINET SECRETARIAT
• WELCOMES
• PARTICIPANTS TO THE

• Workshop on preparation of
• Cabinet Notes

http//cabsec.nic.in
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Concerns

• Serious Concerns at highest levels in view
  of
• Deficiencies in Notes
• RTI Provisions

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Why you?

• Key resource person of a movement to address
  quality concerns
• Improving the service delivery through better
  notes

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Aim of this workshop

• Familiarise participants with relevant
  procedures/instructions
• Minimize deficiencies in Cabinet notes
• Create awareness for preparing better quality
  Cabinet notes
• Provide clarifications

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Expected Outcomes

• Participants are expected to
• acquire better understanding of relevant
  procedures
• Minimize procedural errors in notes
• Qualitative improvement in Cabinet notes
• Reduce time for finalizing notes
• Be the change agents

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We would look at

• Competence /jurisdiction- Government of
  India/Department
• Domain - Cabinet/Cabinet Committees/President/
  Prime Minister
• Physical presentation including two Appendices
• Content of the note
• Model Code of Conduct for political parties and
  candidates
• Inter-Ministerial Consultations/appraisal
• Approval paragraph/Ministers approval/Minister
  of Finances approval / Consultation with PMO
• Press Briefs
• Forwarding Cabinet notes

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Competence of the Central Government

• Subject matter concerns the Government of India
  exclusively (Union or Concurrent List)

• Consultations with the State Governments / their
  concurrence in cases where
• Subject is in Concurrent List
• Subject is in State List but uniformity is
  required and
• Subject is in Union List, but where part of the
  expenditure has to be borne by the State
  Government

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• Competence of the Department to consider the
  matter.

• Have the requisite inter-ministerial
  consultations been held in the latter case?
• Does the subject matter concern the Department,
  in terms of the Government of India (Allocation
  of Business) Rules, 1961? OR is there some other
  Department better placed to handle it ?
• If yes, does it also impact the business of other
  Ministries/ Departments?

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• Competence of the Cabinet/Cabinet Committee.

• Does the proposal come within the mandate of the
  Cabinet/Cabinet Committee or is it required to be
  disposed by some other competent authority in
  terms of various schedules of the Government of
  India (Transaction of Business) Rules, 1961?

The First Schedule Business of Cabinet
Committees The Second Schedule Business
entrusted to the Cabinet The Third Schedule
Business requiring disposal at Prime
Ministers/Presidents level.
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• Physical Presentation of the note

• You have decided that
• The Government of India has the jurisdiction
  and
• your Department is mandated to do the job and
  prepared the note accordingly- then go to the
  next page

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• CHECK
• Whether the name of the Ministry, security
  grading, page number, file number etc. are
  correctly indicated on each page of the note
• That bullets have not been used in the note and
  each paragraph or sub-paragraph is distinctly
  numbered
• Abbreviations referred to in the note have been
  expanded for the first time
• Date of the note has been given on the front page
  of the note and is it the same as given by the
  officer signing the Note
• That the note has been typed in double space on
  A-4 size paper with font size of 12-14 (Arial)
• 1.5 inch left margin has been left
• Back to back printing has been done
• The notes have not been bound spirally or
  otherwise - it should be stapled only once on the
  left hand corner
• Continued.

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• ALSO CHECK
• Whether the note is too long or unwieldy-
  prescribed length being 7-8 pages. If yes, cut
  the size
• Whether Annexures have any notings in the margin
  or are Annexures not legible, partly, or fully.
  If yes, have they been replaced with legible
  copies without any notings in the margin
• Remove unrelated Annexures/ papers including
  previous notes for the Cabinet/Cabinet Committees
• Only relevant extracts / minutes of previously
  considered notes attached
• Annexures within Annexures distinctly numbered to
  avoid confusion?
• Minutes of the CoS/EFC/PIB, etc been duly
  referred to and attached

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• Also ensure
• Copies of the Reports / Acts / Orders etc.
  referred to in the note are attached with the
  note or forwarded to the Cabinet Secretariat
• Proposed Agreement with any foreign Governments
  vetted by Legal Treaties Division of the
  Ministry of External Affairs,
• In cases, where such Agreements also affect our
  domestic laws, the draft has been vetted by the
  Ministry of Law and Justice
• Note signed by the competent officer
• Date and telephone number indicated
• Minutes of GoM / EGoM has been attached with the
  note

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• Content of the note

• Check whether
• Subject considered previously by the
  Cabinet/Cabinet Committee
• Facts/details regarding previous consideration
  including date of such consideration mentioned in
  the note
• Copies of the minutes/approval accorded attached
  with the Note or reproduced in the note
• Financial implications worked out correctly and
  reflected in the note
• Quality of the language used clear and
  unambiguous
• All pages numbered and arranged sequentially
• Difference between Deferred and Postponed

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• Statements of Implementation Schedule and
  Equity, innovation and public accountability.

• Check whether these are
• Attached immediately after the main note and
  marked as Appendix I II and are in the
  prescribed format
• Appendix-I is in conformity with the approval
  paragraph.
• Signed by the competent officer
• Fact regarding Statements having been attached
  with the note appropriately mentioned in the body
  of the note

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APPENDIX-I (Refer paragraph -- )   Statement of
Implementation Schedule   Subject  
Subject
                        (PQR ) Joint Secretary to
the Government of India Tel. No.
1111111        

Page No. of
  SECRET
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SECRET
No.-----
Ministry of -----

APPENDIX-II
(Refer
paragraph --) STATEMENT OF EQUITY, PUBLIC
ACCOUNTABILITY AND INNOVATION Subject
Signature ------- Name Joint Secretary to
the Government of India Telephone no. Page
no. SECRET
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• Applicability of Model Code of Conduct relating
  to Elections

• Note finalised. Check
• applicability of the Model Code of Conduct
  (concerning elections) for political parties
• Proposal affected by the code
• Concurrence of the Election Commission of India
• Better to err on the safer side

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• Inter-Ministerial consultations.

• Business of any other Department(s) impacted
• If so, have they been consulted or their
  concurrence obtained?
• Proposal with financial implications beyond the
  authority delegated to the Ministry/ Department,
  consultation with Ministry of Finance
• Present delegation and the proposed delegation
• Vetting by Ministry of Law (Department of Legal
  Affairs and the Legislative Department, as
  applicable) of draft legislations, rules and
  orders and important contracts
• Continued..

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Prior concurrence of / Consultation with the
Nodal Departments

• Proposals concerning Ministry of Finance relating
  to creation of posts, strength of a service /
  pay or allowances of Government servants or to
  any other conditions of their service - DoPT
  consulted
• Respective nodal Departments consulted (Ministry
  of Finance, Department of Personnel Training,
  Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Law and
  Justice

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• Consultation with or approval of Planning
  Commission required.
• Appraisal by appraisal bodies.
• Note sent within three months from the date of
  clearance of the appraising body
• Delay condoned by the competent authority
• Recommendations of the appraising body not
  proposed to be accepted - has it been circulated
  to the concerned Ministries, their comments /
  concurrence obtained

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• Approval of the Minister of Finance where
  financial implications are involved

• Consultation with Ministries such as Panchayati
  Raj, Women and Child Development, Social Justice
  Empowerment, Tribal Affairs, DONER
• Note sent to the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) at
  draft stage and comments awaited for 15 days?

Continued.
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• Views of the consulted Ministries reflected in
  the main body of the note at least in brief and
  reproduced verbatim in the Annex in a tabular
  format along with the counter-comments of the
  sponsoring ministry

• Names of the Ministries/Departments correctly
  written as per the Government of India
  (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961?
• Copies of Note sent to differing Ministries and
  the fact mentioned in the body of the Note and
  reconfirmed in the forwarding Memo
• Centre-State relations - Consultations with State
  Governments / their concurrence obtained

Continued.
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• Consultations with National Security Council
  Secretariat in matters relating to national
  security

• Consultation with National Manufacturing
  Competitiveness Council in cases concerning
  manufacturing sector
• PMOs views, duly factored in, while finalizing
  the Note and in cases, where their views are not
  being accepted counter views of the sponsoring
  Ministry/Department mentioned in the forwarding
  Memo
• Copy of the final note endorsed to PMO
• Avoid a reference to the views of PMO/Cabinet
  Secretariat

Continued.
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• Proposals in the note are the same as those
  circulated to Ministries/Departments
• If there is substantial change in the original
  proposals, re-circulate for inter-ministerial
  consultations

• In cases presentations made before the
  PM/Cabinet/Cabinet Committees prior to the note
  being submitted for consideration of the
  Cabinet/Cabinet Committees
• (i) Issues concerning policy without financial
  implications to be processed in accordance with
  the directions during the course of such
  presentations
• (ii) Approval sought for commencement of the
  schemes, programmes etc. having budgetary
  implications/financial outgo, the prescribed
  procedure for EFC/PIB/Planning Commission
  approval(s) and necessary inter-ministerial
  consultations to be followed

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• Approval Paragraph

• Ensure that
• Approval paragraph is self-contained, brief and
  does not include any facts/ details on which
  approval of the Cabinet/Cabinet Committee is not
  required
• Do not combine approval paragraph with any other
  matter

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• Approval of Minister-in-charge.

• Approval of the Minister-in-charge taken for
  placing the note before the Cabinet/Cabinet
  Committees and indicated in the note?
• Note to clearly indicate that the Minister of
  Finance has approved the note,where required
• PPPAC / HPC appraised proposals- approval of
  Minister of Finance not required

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• Media/Press Briefing

• Check whether
• Two copies of the press brief are being forwarded
  with the note both in English and Hindi
• The Press brief gives out the facts in a simple
  language that leaves no ambiguity

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• Hindi version

• Check whether
• Hindi version been attached with all Annexures
  and is complete in all respects

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And finally

• You have done your job
• The note is now ready to be placed before the
  highest level of Political Executive
• The note showcases the functioning of the
  Department and you are proud to have ensured that
  it is of the best quality

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FORWARDING CABINET NOTES

• ALL Notes to be forwarded to
• Director (Cabinet), Cabinet Secretariat, Room
  no. 14 B, Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi 110004
• Please do not send directly to Cabinet Secretary
  or Additional Secretary to avoid delay.
• Requests for seeking approval under rule 12 of
  the Government of India (Transaction of Business)
  Rules, 1961, also to be forwarded on the above
  address
• Copies could be marked separately to senior
  officers in the Cabinet Secretariat
• Date of forwarding the note, date of signature
  and delivery should be the same

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Copy No. No. Ministry/Depa
rtment of   New Delhi, dated 1   Office
Memorandum   Subject XXXXX     The undersigned
is directed to enclose 2 copies of the note
(both in Hindi and English version) on the above
mentioned subject for consideration by the
Cabinet/Cabinet Committee on   2. It is also
informed that the Ministries/Departments of
..,, and . and the Prime Ministers Office
have been consulted at the draft stage. The
comments of the consulted Ministries/Departments
and comments of the Department thereon, in a
tabular form, have been annexed and main points
made by the consulted Ministries/Departments, in
brief, included in the main body of the note. A
copy of the final note has also been forwarded to
the differing Ministries/Departments and the
Prime Ministers Office on ..3. OR 2. The
proposal has been cleared by the
EFC/PIB/EBR/PPPAC/HPC and has been approved by
the Minister of Finance. Copies of the EFC/PIB
Memo and a copy of the final note have been sent
to PMO on and . However, no comments were
received from PMO or the comments received from
the PMO have duly been taken into account while
finalizing the note.   3. 4A tabular statement
indicating the views/comments, if any, of the
Prime Ministers Office and action taken thereon
by the Department is annexed with this Office
Memorandum.   4. It is requested that the note
may please be placed before the Cabinet/ Cabinet
Committee on at an early date.   5. 5There
is urgency for consideration of this item by the
Cabinet/Cabinet Committee . (Reasons to be
given) and therefore, it is requested to place
the note in the next meeting of the
Cabinet.    (XYZ) Designation Tel. No. E
mail.     Cabinet Secretariat Director
(Cabinet) Room No.14 B, Rashtrapati Bhavan, New
Delhi 110004.    
Secret
1 date to the note and date of the forwarding
Office Memorandum should be same. 1 60 number
of Ministries/Departments consulted in case of
note for the Cabinet 50 number of
Ministries/Departments consulted in case of note
for all the other Cabinet Committees except CCPA
and CCS, where 20 copies may be forwarded. 1
Date to be mentioned. 1 If applicable. 1 If
applicable.

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THANK YOU
dir.cab-cabsec_at_nic.in