Prime Minister Narendra Modi with new ministers who were sworn in on Sunday.
On Sunday, 21 ministers read their oath of office to join Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Council of Ministers. On Monday, PM Modi read out the rule book to them.
At the first meeting of his expanded Council of Ministers on Monday evening, the Prime Minister spoke for 20 minutes, listing how he wants his 'mantris' to conduct themselves.
After the Sunday rejig, PM Modi's Council of Ministers is 66-member strong. Only three ministers didn't attend the meeting. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Minister of State Kiran Rijuju had prior engagements, while Heavy Industries Minister Anant Geete skipped the meeting, as his party Shiv Sena stayed undecided over ties with the BJP.
During the meeting, the PM is said to have asked his ministers to be ready with Bills pending in both Houses of Parliament, along with new legislative proposals.
To ensure that ministers stay focused on the session and remain available, PM Modi asked his Council of Ministers to cut down on unnecessary tours to ensure their maximum presence during the month-long affair.
The PM also gave a pep talk to the newly-appointed ministers on how to go about their jobs. He also discussed with his colleagues the strategy to ensure that the session - beginning from November 24 and ending on December 23 - remains a "smooth affair" for the government, during which it plans to pass most of the pending bills, as well as some key new bills.
He advised the ministers to come prepared with proper answers for questions which are posed during the Question Hour of Parliament. PM Modi reportedly told his ministers not to have 'offs' and be prepared to work even on public holidays.
PM Modi's focus on ensuring that Parliament functions without any hitch comes in the backdrop of the Budget Session that saw several disruptions.
Sources in the government said the PM also asked all Cabinet ministers to take their Ministers of State or MoS into confidence.
"The PM told us that the MoS should be given proper work responsibility and files should be routed through the MoS, so that they stay familiar with government policies. He also laid down that all the Cabinet ministers should make it a point to meet their MoS every Wednesday," said a senior minister after the meeting.
A newly-inducted MoS said, "The Prime Minister urged all junior ministers that they should prove to be 'assets' to their ministries".
This follows repeated complaints from Ministers of State during the 10 years of UPA's rule that Cabinet ministers neither gave work nor access to files to their junior colleagues in the Council.
Sources said light snacks were served after the meeting, which was held at the PM's Race Course Road residence in Delhi.