Reforms a continuous necessity, not a fashionable term: PM Narendra Modi

The Prime Minister urged secretaries to promote young innovators, strengthen cybersecurity, counter misinformation and align education with future industry needs

At a meeting with key secretaries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday spoke of the need for greater participation of young innovators and entrepreneurs in the cyber security ecosystem, while also stressing that reforms are not merely a fashionable term but a continuous necessity for effective governance.

 

The PM stressed on proactive outreach by the government on strategic sectors to counter misinformation. He said new academic courses should be planned in partnership with industry to equip the workforce with skills required by emerging and future industries.

 

The focus on youth comes in the wake of the protests led by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) against examination paper leaks. The protesters predominantly comprised the youth. This was the PM’s second such meeting with secretaries in recent days.

 

 

The PM “observed that a government must always remain youthful, dynamic and forward-looking, continuously adapting to new challenges and opportunities with agility and innovation,” a government press statement issued later in the evening stated.

 

The PM also emphasised the importance of proactive communication on strategic sectors where the country is undertaking major initiatives, to counter misinformation and unfounded fears surrounding such efforts, the government said.

 

At the meeting, held at his residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, the PM reviewed the future agenda of ministries and departments dealing with finance and economy, commerce and industry and technology sectors. He held a meeting of secretaries on July 22 to review the progress of rural development, agriculture, social welfare and allied sectors.

 

Modi emphasised the need to break both horizontal and vertical silos within the government. He said the growing use of technology must be accompanied by a strong focus on cybersecurity to safeguard digital systems and infrastructure.

 

The meeting focused on accelerating progress towards the goals of Viksit Bharat, the government press statement said. The PM called for a strong focus on team building across ministries and departments, urging officers to work with a shared sense of purpose, the statement said. He emphasised the need to break both horizontal and vertical silos within the Government so that departments function in close coordination and deliver integrated outcomes, it said.

 

Modi highlighted the importance of citizen-centric governance and stressed that every decision and policy should be guided by the interests and aspirations of the common citizen, the press statement said. The PM said while India is making significant investments in infrastructure, equal priority must be given to developing indigenous technologies. He underscored the importance of technological self-reliance and building domestic capabilities in critical sectors. He said energy security is closely linked with national security, economic stability and citizens’ welfare, and that India must achieve self-reliance in the energy sector through innovation, diversification and accelerated capacity creation.

 

Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan and secretaries of key ministries and departments, and senior officials from the Prime Minister’s Office attended the meeting.