New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asked the top bureaucrats of each government department to plan, create roadmap and take decisions to make India a $5 trillion economy while making "ease of living" their top priority.
"Every department of the Union government and every district of each state has a role to play in making India a $5 trillion economy," the Prime Minister said while addressing the secretaries of all the government departments.
Modi also touched upon the importance of the "Make in India" initiative and the need to make tangible progress towards this end. He asked the top bureaucrats to focus on taking steps to improve "ease of living" for the people.
In the presence of Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman and Jitendra Singh, the Prime Minister said the mandate in the Lok Sabha polls reflected the will and aspirations of the people to change the "status quo" and seek a better life for themselves.
"The recent general election was marked by pro-incumbency for which credit must go to the entire team of officials. They worked hard, conceived schemes and delivered excellent results on the ground over the last five years," Modi said, according to an official statement.
He said the election this time has been marked by a positive vote, which emerges from trust that the common man feels based on his day-to-day experiences.
"The Indian voter has outlined a vision for the next five years and this is now an opportunity before us. The huge expectations of the people should not be viewed as a challenge but as an opportunity. The mandate reflects the will and aspirations of the people to change the status quo and seek a better life for themselves," Modi said.
Modi also said that India's progress in "ease of doing business" should reflect in greater facilitation for small businesses and entrepreneurs.
"Each Ministry of the government should focus on 'ease of living'," he said, adding that water, fisheries and animal husbandry will also be important areas for the government.
During his interaction, the Prime Minister hailed the secretaries for their vision, commitment and energy to take the country forward.
He urged them to use technology to improve outcomes and efficiency in each department.
The Prime Minister said that all departments must seek to leverage the upcoming milestone of 75 years of independence which can inspire people to make a contribution for the betterment of the country.
Initiating the interaction, Cabinet Secretary, P.K. Sinha mentioned two important tasks before the group of secretaries that included a five-year plan document for each ministry, with well-defined targets and milestones and a significant impactful decision in each ministry for which approvals will be taken within 100 days.
During the interaction, various secretaries shared their vision and ideas on subjects such as administrative decision-making, agriculture, rural development and Panchayati Raj, IT initiatives, education reform, health care, industrial policy, economic growth, and skill development, among others.