The Future Has Entered the Secretariat

For years, the buzz in Gujarat's Secretariat revolved around files. But now, it seems the files have some serious competition—from robots! With the launch of Robofest Gujarat 6.0, the bureaucracy has found a new topic of conversation: in the future, who will serve tea in government offices—the office attendant or an AI-powered robot? From semiconductors to hyperscale data centres, the vision has inspired light-hearted jokes among officials that the days of saying "put up a note" may soon give way to "write a prompt." The GUJCOST MoUs have also become a talking point in bureaucratic corridors. Following agreements on a statewide drone laboratory network and technology transfer, insiders quipped that it may not just be files making the rounds between departments—drones could soon be doing the follow-ups too! One thing is certain: AI, robotics and drones have become such familiar terms in Gujarat's government meetings that if none of them are mentioned, the meeting almost feels incomplete.

No Transfer, Just Boarding Passes

With more than a year still to go for the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2027, the buzz in the Secretariat has already shifted to overseas roadshows. As the Industries Department begins forming committees to promote the summit abroad, officials across departments—from Industries and Ports to Tourism, Energy, Agriculture, Science & Technology, Urban Development and others—are jokingly said to have one eye on their files and the other on their passports. The light-hearted chatter is that flight schedules are beginning to attract almost as much attention as official meeting schedules. Meanwhile, officers holding key postings are reportedly putting in an extra gear in their performance—not just for good governance, but also to ensure they stay in the right seat until the overseas roadshows begin. After all, no one wants an untimely transfer to come between them and an international visit. The running joke in bureaucratic circles is that this year, a valid passport may be just as valuable as a strong APAR, because when Vibrant Gujarat comes calling, both performance and passport need to be up to date.

The Games Have A New Captain

IAS officer M. Thennarasan is once again the talk of the Secretariat. With his appointment as CEO of the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the Commonwealth Games 2030, the light-hearted buzz is that his portfolio has now expanded from Urban Development to Sports Development. Having earlier served as Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner and in the Sports Department, colleagues say he is now back on familiar turf—only this time, the playing field is much bigger. The corridor chatter is that his day may now begin with an urban planning review and end with a Commonwealth Games presentation. After all, the CEO of the SPV is more than just another designation—it's the role of the project's "command centre." With infrastructure, budgets, coordination, venues and timelines all converging on one desk, officials joke that his calendar will soon have fewer ordinary files and far more milestones to chase before the opening ceremony.

The Policy Is Ready To Drop Anchor

The hottest file making the rounds in the Secretariat these days is the much-awaited Shipbuilding Policy. After beginning its voyage in the Industries Department and sailing through the Science & Technology Department, the policy file has finally reached the Ports Department to drop anchor. The light-hearted buzz in bureaucratic circles is that the policy itself has undertaken a voyage worthy of a ship—and if the winds remain favourable, it may soon be ready to "set sail." Meanwhile, with the policy's steering wheel now in the hands of Principal Secretary Hareet Shukla, Gujarat Maritime Board Chairman S. S. Rathore, and Vice Chairman & CEO Dr. Ajay Kumar, their workload is said to have increased considerably. As plans gather pace for a mega shipbuilding park at Dahej and a shipping hub at Dholera, the joke in the Secretariat is that the file no longer needs just a green signal—it needs a green channel to reach the shore faster than the ships it hopes to build.

More Power, More Paperwork

With the Gujarat Cabinet empowering District Collectors to take direct decisions on fodder arrangements in low-rainfall areas, the buzz in the Secretariat is that one more file has officially been taken off the long approval route. The light-hearted joke in bureaucratic circles is that the old phrase, "Send the file to Gandhinagar," may now be replaced with, "Just call the Collector!" The move is expected to speed up fodder supply to ‘gaushalas’ and ‘panjara poles’, but it has also shifted greater responsibility to district administrations. Meanwhile, another topic making the rounds in the corridors is that Dr. Jayanti Ravi's workload is set to increase. With District Collectors exercising greater powers, the flow of reports, reviews and coordination with the Revenue Department is only expected to intensify. As one wag in the bureaucracy might put it: ‘when fodder has to move faster, files have to keep pace too!’

The Fast Lane for Files

The Secretariat has found a fresh topic for corridor conversations. With the government approving 28 new Section Officer posts, bureaucrats are joking that government files have finally been assigned a few extra "drivers." For years, the bigger challenge was often figuring out where a file had stopped. Now, the hope is that the same files might finally move a little faster. Some officials are even quipping that the government's file movement has just received a much-needed "software upgrade." At the same time, there's a light-hearted buzz that the word "pending" may soon lose some of its prominence in Secretariat vocabulary. Of course, seasoned bureaucrats are quick to point out that in government, a file's speed still depends as much on notes, approvals and signatures as it does on manpower. Even so, with more Section Officers on board, one thing seems certain—the corridors may soon witness more movement than waiting.

The Lions Are Under Study Now

The changing behaviour of Gir's Asiatic lions has become a talking point in the Secretariat as well. For years, the saying went, "The lion is the undisputed king of Gir." But now, even the king's changing mood is set to be studied by a team of wildlife scientists. The light-hearted buzz is that the lions may soon realise they have become the subject of a full-fledged research project. The real question now is: who is watching whom—the lions watching humans, or the scientists watching the lions?... The joke doing the rounds in bureaucratic corridors is that until now, it was government files that went through fact-finding; now, the lions are in for some field-finding. With the Wildlife Institute of India heading into Gir, the lions' daily routine, habitat, hunting patterns and behaviour are all set for what officials jokingly call a "performance audit." The hope, of course, is that once the study is complete, Gir's lions will once again be known as the kings of the forest—not the stars of alarming headlines.