For government officers, a central deputation usually meant five years in one ministry even if the work allocated changed. That too was not very frequent.But since the Narendra Modi government launched the “midnight massacre” last September, some officers got into the habit of checking the personnel department website after dinner.At times, even ministers have learnt about senior officers being transferred from newspaper reports. The result: Several officers who spent their lifetime in economic ministries are now grappling with social sector issues, while a section has opted to go back to their cadres before the end of their term.Critics also point out that the Modi administration is slow in making appointments. In the initial days, several departments had to do without full-time secretaries. Even now there is no chief information commissioner or CVC . Some large state-run banks are working without full-time chiefs for several months but there has been a clean-up in the way in which some of the board appointments at PSUs are made.Clearly, the rules of the game have changed for babus — be it clocking in at 9am through a biometric attendance system or ensuring offices are clean. Of course, some of the toning up has come at a cost as several senior officers now even work on Saturdays, resulting in junior staff often holding a grudge. In any case, the insistence on office actually starting at 9am has caused a lot of heartburn, which some believe resulted in babus voting for AAP in the Delhi elections.Yet, there is the comfort factor, especially in the economic ministries, as officers don’t have to deal with ministers who insist that decisions be taken only in a certain way, which may benefit a company or an individual. With Modi himself interacting with secretaries thrice since he took charge a year ago, there is a perception that the PM can be reached. Some of the secretaries have, in fact, written to Modi directly if they have disagreed with the policy being pushed by their ministers or even the PMO.The flip side is that some secretaries rush to the PMO at the slightest chance, hoping that their efficient ways would be rewarded with a better assignment.