Clean sweep

Following orders from the top, many Government of India secretaries took rounds of their departments last week to ensure working conditions are conducive for their staff. While rooms of officers in the rank of director and above are usually clean, it is the section officers, under secretaries and the junior staff who benefitted the most from this cleanliness drive. Their air conditioners, lights and fans are said to be properly functioning now and all the old files have been weeded out to make the offices spick-and-span. This was the first time some secretaries were undertaking such a reality check. A handful of them seemed quite impressed by the way some female officers had done up their rooms. We are told that incense sticks to spread the fragrance and yellow lights to keep things cool were among the top ideas picked up by some of those doing the rounds to implement in their own cabins.