People's expectations should be viewed as opportunity: Modi tells secretaries

Just 11 days after taking over for his second term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday met secretaries of all departments and told them to work for the "ease of living" since the expectations from the government are huge as reflected by the electoral mandate.

The Prime Minister said every department of the Union government and every district of each state has a role to play in making India a five-trillion-dollar economy and urged everyone to hit the ground running to fulfil the aspirations of 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.

Speaking of the demographic dividend, the Prime Minister said it is essential that the demographics be utilised efficiently.

"Every department of the Union government and every district of each state has a role to play in making India a five-trillion-dollar economy," he said.

He also touched upon the importance of the "Make in India" initiative, and the need to make tangible progress towards this end.

Modi 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.

--IANS

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