Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a marathon four-and-a-half-hour meeting with the Council of Ministers on May 21, focusing on reforms to enhance ease of living and ease of doing business. According to reports from NDTV, Modi shared a photo of the meeting on X (formerly Twitter), stating they exchanged perspectives and best practices to boost ease of living and doing business. The meeting was held at Seva Teerth in New Delhi and was attended by all cabinet ministers, ministers of state (independent charge), and ministers of state, marking the first council meeting held in nearly 11 months - the previous meeting was held on June 4 last year. In his latest post on X, Modi wrote, "Had a fruitful meeting of the Council of Ministers yesterday. We exchanged perspectives and best practices relating to boosting 'Ease of Living, 'Ease of Doing Business' and how to further reforms in order to realise our shared dream of a Viksit Bharat."
During the meeting, Modi told his council of ministers to set their goal on 2047 so that by then with various reform initiatives people's lives become more comfortable. As reported by NDTV, the prime minister said that maximum stress should be given on the next generation reforms so that all round development could be achieved by 2047 when India will celebrate the 100 years of Independence. Modi gave a broad outline of the reform initiatives through which the country becomes developed by 2047, repeatedly emphasizing that their aim and objective should always be in bringing comfort to the people's lives. The Prime Minister stressed that every ministry must work with 'Viksit Bharat 2047' as its guiding vision, urging ministers to focus on the future and accelerate reforms. "Viksit Bharat 2047" represents the government's commitment rather than a mere slogan, PM Modi emphasized during the meeting.
According to NDTV reports, Modi told the ministers to take all possible steps so that people get maximum benefits from the government welfare programmes. The prime minister stressed that there should be no interference in the people's lives in any way and advised ministers to remain focused on governance and delivery. He noted that while the government has been in power since 2014, the focus in 2026 must be on future goals and achievements, stressing there should be no pendency in government work. Modi also said this is the time to look forward, not dwell on what has been done in the past, as reported by sources. "Forget what happened in the past, focus on the future," PM Modi reportedly told ministers during the closed-door meeting. The Prime Minister emphasized the need for quicker movement of files without unnecessary bureaucratic delays and asked ministers to maximise productivity within the available time. Ministries with lower performance rankings were advised to take corrective action to enhance their functioning.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar gave a presentation on the just concluded foreign visit of Modi during which the prime minister visited five countries -- the UAE, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy. As reported by NDTV, a total of nine departments made presentations before the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers, including the Ministries of Agriculture, Forestry, Labour, Road Transport, Corporate Affairs, External Affairs, Commerce and Power. Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan also gave a presentation on overall government reform initiatives and other people centric measures, while Niti Aayog member Rajiv Gauba also presented. According to a BJP leader, during the meeting, presentations were made by several key ministries, including Agriculture, Forest, Labour, Road Transport, Corporate Affairs, External Affairs, Commerce, and Power. Sources indicate that a few of them gave presentation on the worked done in the last two years of the Modi government's third term, with the meeting including a presentation on the achievements and reforms undertaken over the last 12 years.
The council of ministers meeting comes amid speculation about a possible Cabinet reshuffle before June 9, when the Modi government will complete 12 years at the Centre and two years of its third term. According to NDTV, the high-level meeting comes as PM Modi is expected to sharpen the government's reform push in the coming months amid global uncertainties and ongoing tensions in West Asia. The Prime Minister further underlined the importance of simplifying government functioning and ensuring that public interest remains the foremost priority across all ministries. Sources told NDTV that PM Modi also asked ministers to directly communicate the Central government's 12-year journey, welfare initiatives and reform agenda to the people. The meeting was regarded as a significant midterm review of the government's performance, with the Council of Ministers comprising 30 cabinet ministers excluding the Prime Minister, five ministers of state with independent charge, and 36 ministers of state.
