Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a two-day conclave on September 23 and 24 at 'Seva Teerth' housing the Prime Minister's Office, bringing together the entire Union Council of Ministers. According to official sources, the brainstorming sessions will focus on reforms, government schemes, policy implementation, inter-ministerial coordination and public service delivery. The conclave comes as the government nears the halfway mark of its current term while confronting challenges in exports and energy security due to West Asian conflict and potential sanctions. The exercise will build on the 'Viksit Bharat@2047' roadmap, with discussions also focusing on ease of living, reducing compliance burdens and improving public service delivery.
In his Independence Day speech on August 15, Modi announced his government's commitment to move aggressively towards next-level reforms. As reported by Business Standard, at a meeting with key secretaries on July 28, Modi emphasized that reforms are not merely fashionable but a continuous necessity for effective governance. The PM stressed the need to reform processes, improve work culture, ease of living, and strengthen institutional efficiency. In his recent meetings with secretaries, Modi has spoken of better inter-ministerial coordination and breaking both horizontal and vertical silos within the government. The presentations of ministers may focus on ways to make the policy-making process more effective and impactful.
In his Independence Day address, Modi detailed the 'Sapta Dhara' (seven-pronged strategy) to create jobs for youth, stating that the country needs to take reforms forward. According to Business Standard, the strategy encompasses significantly advancing manufacturing sector, moving forward in food processing, focusing on technology and innovation, achieving seamless connectivity, achieving self-reliance in defence production including next-generation technologies, and paying attention to green and blue economies. Modi said 50 Indian corporations should be among the Fortune 500 companies within the next decade, requiring accelerated reforms from central, state governments and local self-government institutions.
The government has constituted about half-a-dozen groups comprising eight ministers each to brainstorm on issues like time-bound implementation of programmes and governance issues. As reported by official sources, these groups have held multiple meetings where they discussed presentations for the conclave. Some ministers are expected to make presentations on policies and measures undertaken by their respective ministries to advance reforms in various sectors. The brainstorming session comes amid speculation related to a reshuffle of the Union Cabinet. Since the 'Viksit Bharat@2047' exercise began in 2021, there have been eight presentations and discussions before the Council of Ministers on different aspects of the vision document.
The conclave takes place with Assembly polls due in five states including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand. According to Business Standard, barring Punjab, the Bharatiya Janata Party along with its allies currently runs governments in the other four states. The PM had earlier chaired a 'Chintan Shivir' on October 21, 2021, which focused on governance and policymaking. Ministries have been asked to maintain live dashboards of their activities, review progress, and hold interactions with all staff to get feedback and ideas. This current exercise is not an isolated event, as further rounds will also be lined up in the coming days to continue the reforms momentum.
