Modi chairs ‘fruitful’ meeting of Council of Ministers amid reshuffle buzz

Asserting that his government has done a lot of development work in its nine years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asked his Council of Ministers to go all out over the next nine months to inform people about its successes and initiatives, sources said.

The meeting was held at the newly built convention centre at Pragati Maidan, which will host the G20 summit in September.

The sources said that in the meeting, a presentation was also made on the vision for India’s growth journey in a host of areas, ranging from infrastructure to budget size, till 2047 when it celebrates the centenary of its independence.

This will put India among the leading countries in the world, they said.

With the ruling BJP’s leadership putting in place its strategy to retain power at the Centre in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Modi spoke at length about India’s development journey in various sectors and his government’s pro-poor measures since 2014.

Chairing the meeting, he asked his ministerial colleagues to make a determined effort to connect with the electorate across the country in the period till the polls.

Modi has described the era till 2047 as “Amrit Kaal” (golden era) for the country.

The sources said the prime minister noted the prevailing global challenges and lauded the country’s growth and welfare for the poor.

A number of secretaries representing different ministries, including foreign and defence, made presentations during the meeting in which Modi’s recent State Visit to the US was also highlighted for its unprecedented success.

It was noted that US President Joe Biden held talks with Modi on all three days of his stay in Washington DC, the sources said.

His visit to Egypt was also highlighted in the meeting which lasted for close to four and a half hours.

It was also discussed how to properly implement budgetary allocations, the sources said, noting that Modi underscored that the G20 meeting will be held at same venue where the ministers met.

He stressed on the significance of the meeting, which will be attended by world leaders, and asked ministers to give any suggestion to make improvements.

Prime Minister Modi tweeted, “A fruitful meeting with the Council of Ministers, where we exchanged views on diverse policy related issues.”

Union minister Meenakshi Lekhi told reporters after the meeting that “vision 2047” and plans for a host of development activities in various sectors were discussed.

Lekhi added that Parliament’s Monsoon Session, scheduled to begin from July 20, will start from the old building. It was also emphasised in the meeting that different ministries prepare their bills as there is not much time left, she said.

The meeting has come amid a heightened buzz about a likely Cabinet reshuffle following a series of meetings of the ruling BJP’s top brass.

What has added to the reshuffle buzz is that the period before Parliament’s Monsoon Session could be the last window for such an exercise.