NEW DELHI: Merit and competence have replaced seniority and political allegiance as buzzwords in Delhi’s corridors of power as Prime Minister Narendra Modi goes about strengthening India’s steel frame.This is evident from the 300-odd senior-level transfers and appointments by the Modi-led NDA government within four months of taking charge, including the massive shake-up of 46 joint secretaries just before Modi left for the United States on Thursday.“Competence matters for us here, not seniority,” said a top minister, whose department saw the maximum changes and got four relatively junior officers as joint secretaries.ET had reported on June 4 that the government was identifying competent bureaucrats based on factors such as their performance over the past decade, dedication to duty, quickness of delivery and political neutrality.Since July 12, the government has in three batches reshuffled 20 secretaries, including of key ministries and departments such as civil aviation, environment, telecom and revenue. This happened after Narendra Modi had made key appointments in the Prime Minister’s Office — principal secretary Nripendra Mishra, additional principal secretary PK Mishra and Gujarat cadre officer AK Sharma in a key joint secretary position.Former cabinet secretary Naresh Chandra said the new government’s approach “belied the myth” that it was against the bureaucrats appointed by the previous Congressled UPA regime. Five officers, who had served earlier as private secretaries or officers on special duty or OSDs to ministers in the UPA government and were believed to have been left out in the cold with the change of guard at the Centre, have been appointed as joint secretaries in sensitive ministries such as those of home affairs and power, and the revenue department in the recent reshuffle.“This only shows that the Narendra Modi government did not want officers serving in personal staff of former ministers to continue in the same role under the new ministers as well, but rather wanted them to return to normal duties,” Chandra said.Cabinet secretaries under the UPA government have also been taken on board. KM Chandrashekhar, cabinet secretary from 2007 to 2011, has been included in a committee to restructure the Railway Board while the present incumbent Ajit Seth has got an extension for six months.“The government respects their competence. It is looking for politically neutral but competent persons. Utilising the services of Mr Chandrashekhar or Mr Seth reinforces this point,” another senior minister said on condition of anonymity.Five former personal aides of joint secretaries appointed by the ministers in the UPA government also broke the seniority glass ceiling. Uday Singh Kumawat, a 1993-batch officer and personal secretary or PS to then minister of state for agriculture Tariq Anwar, has replaced an officer ten batches senior to him in the department of revenue.Gopal Dwivedi, also a 1993 batch officer and PS to then minister o f stat e for education D Purendeshwari, has replaced a 1984 batch officer in the Union home ministry while Hitesh Makhwana, the PS of then minister of state for shipping GK Vasan, is now a joint secretary in the home ministry, having succeeded an officer seven batches his senior.A senior official in the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said the prime minister’s move to limit the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) to himself and the home minister has facilitated a “more meritorious selection” of officers.“Earlier, the minister of the department concerned was also part of the ACC and had his say in the process. The ministers’ exclusion from the ACC has brought more objectivity and neutrality into the exercise,” said the officer, who did not wish to be identified.Besides, the official added, the process of file movement has changed qualitatively. “With decisions flowing down from the PMO on all senior-level appointments, the names do not get leaked prematurely and there are fewer chances of lobbying,” said the official.For instance, it was long speculated that 1981-batch Gujarat cadre IAS officer Hasmukh Adhia was the front runner to be the new secretary, higher education in Delhi. But on Wednesday night, the government appointed 1980-batch Andhra Pradesh officer Satyanarayan Mohanty to the post. Similarly, there was hectic lobbying for the post of the new telecom secretary before the government sprang a surprise and chose Uttar Pradesh cadre officer Rakesh Garg in July.Among the 46 joint secretary-level appointments, almost half of the officers have come from the state cadres. “This is to inject fresh air into the capital’s bureaucracy,” said the official cited earlier.The Narendra Modi government has struck some discordant notes as well, though, as in the case of 1979-batch Gujarat cadre IAS officer Rajiv Takru, who is not believed to have been on the right side of the Modi government. Takru was appointed as the revenue secretary by the UPA government in March, before the new government shifted him out as DONER secretary just before the Union Budget was presented in July. On Wednesday, he was shifted again, this time to the National Commission of Minorities.Modi has, however, indicated that he is not out to rock the boat so far as the bureaucracy is concerned. “When I was in Gujarat I used to say with confidence — despite same officer, same government, same office, same file and the same people, this world can be changed. I can say that after coming to Delhi also. The same office, officers, cars, files and even ways of functioning, still they can be enlivened,” he said on Thursday. Having seen Modi at work, however, central bureaucrats are likely to keenly await his next move without seeking to second-guess him.