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India's prime minister thinks country's bureaucrats play too much golf

It's often said a president or prime minister's term in office is defined by its first 100 days. If that's the case, India's Narendra Modi, the country's new leader, could be aligning himself with a decidedly anti-golf crowd (or a pro-work crowd, if that's what you'd prefer).

A story in Friday's edition of the Washington Post describes how Modi is trying to shake-up India's bureaucracy and its "out-to-lunch" mentality. Modi reportedly distributed his cell-phone number to some officials in an attempt to instill a new mindset, and there are rumors circulating of a secret list that tracks how often civil servants frequent golf courses during work hours.

According to the article:

"The new government is sending a message to the senior bureaucracy, which is: You can't switch off," said T.S.R. Subramanian, a former cabinet secretary, the highest-level civil servant post in India.

The impact of the rumored list has already been felt at the historic Delhi Golf Club, where about 200 bureaucrats used to tee off on cooler afternoons amid Mughal-era tombs as peacocks strolled. Many have now canceled their memberships, according to one executive board member, and a few die-hards switched their tee times to 5:30 a.m. so they can still make it to work on time.

Making it harder to play golf during work hours? Sounds like a tyrant to us.