Modi asks ministers not to appoint family members as staff to nix prevalent nepotism

New Delhi: In a move seen as a bid to clean up the administration, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is understood to have advised his council of ministers on Wednesday not to have their relatives as personal staff in the ministry. Modi has also asked ministers to discourage nepotism and granting government contracts to relatives and friends. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) issued a directive on May 26, asking all ministries and departments to 'ensure strict compliance of procedure' for hiring personal staff of the ministers. "Prior approval of the ACC is required for appointment in the minister's personal staff (other than the private secretary) at deputy secretary and above level. For appointment of PS, ACC approval is required..." the office memo issued by the DoPT stated. Some ministers, in the previous NDA government under Atal Bihar Vajpayee, had created controversy by appointing their children as officers on special duty. The previous UPA government had also got bad press after a series of scam were unearthed involving ministers and their personal staff. The most recent example was that of former railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal. He had appointed a distant relative as his officers on special duty. His nephew Vijay Singla was allegedly found complicit in the cash-for-postings scam that led to Bansal’s sacking as the rail minister.