'Should Be Common Man's Goal': Centre's 23-Point 'Viksit Bharat' Action Plan

The Centre has laid out a 23-point action plan for advancing the government's Viksit Bharat 2047 agenda. It aims to expand sports, skilling, strengthen domestic technology, agricultural education, industrial capacity and governance reforms.

The points emerged from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's interaction with Union government secretaries on July 22 and were conveyed to secretaries in a July 29 note issued by Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan.

In the July 29 communication, reviewed by NDTV, Somanathan asked secretaries to initiate action on the 23 points that emerged from the PM's interaction.

"The communication broadly captures what the secretaries presented and talks about the priorities of the government," said an official familiar with the matter.

A second official said each secretary made a three-minute presentation after which these points emerged.

The plan says Viksit Bharat 2047 should become "the goal of a common man and not of the Government alone". It should be pursued by turning it into a mass movement, along the lines of the freedom struggle, while building a youth movement through programmes in universities and colleges.

The My Bharat campaign and portal could be used to address "drug addiction among young people and develop a motivational system to prevent youth from falling into drug abuse", it adds.

Sports is another priority. The note points out that those who will participate in the 2036 Olympics are currently in the 5-10 age group and in schools. Schools, colleges and younger children should therefore be encouraged to showcase their achievements in sports competitions and events at different levels. A "whole of Government approach" has been proposed for promoting a sports culture.

The Sports and Tourism ministries could work together to develop sports tourism, while MSMEs, the Department of Information Technology and startups could contribute to sports development. Ministries, departments and organisations should also conduct workplace sports competitions to promote team building.

On education and skilling, the plan calls for integrating skill courses with school curricula and reviewing ITI syllabi. Senior citizens could be engaged as mentors in ITIs on an honorarium basis, while final-year engineering students could volunteer for two to three months to share advanced technical knowledge. A model is also to be prepared to improve employment and upskilling opportunities for ITI students, including exploring degree pathways for those with ITI diplomas. Moreover, the note adds, the government should plan to engage senior citizens in mentorship programmes and other initiatives, particularly as India's population is expected to become older in the future.

A global mapping of demand for skilled workers is proposed, with training aligned to international requirements. The note cites linking the North-Eastern states with Japan as an example and calls for greater emphasis on soft skills and digital technology to improve overseas employment opportunities.

Agriculture-related priorities include reviewing the syllabi of agricultural universities to ensure they reflect regional agro-climatic requirements. The plan also proposes exploring irrigation expansion for crop diversification, subject to conditions such as excluding water-intensive crops. Agriculture students could be trained and involved in schemes such as installing solar panels on field boundaries to provide farmers with an additional assured source of revenue.

Ministries and departments have been asked to encourage the use of domestic digital, AI and messaging platforms such as Zoho, Sarvam and Arattai "to ensure safety of our (the government's) data".

The action points also call for strengthening in-house government expertise. "Officers should be trained in tendering, legislative drafting, dispute mechanisms and other specialised skills instead of relying extensively on consultants. Courses on the iGOT platform could be used for capacity building," it states.

The pharmaceutical sector requires "process reforms and deregulation", the note says, keeping the changing scientific environment in view and promoting ease of doing business. It also says the terminology of "expenditure" may not adequately capture the intent where spending results in the creation of assets and requires consideration.

The industrial agenda includes developing more construction companies capable of executing complex projects and building domestic capacity to manufacture heavy and complex machinery and equipment. Industry-academia collaboration should also be strengthened, with university and college courses and syllabi updated regularly in line with technological changes and industry requirements. The plan calls for identifying gaps in rules, regulations, processes and systems in anticipation of future requirements and undertaking reforms accordingly. It also stresses continuous capacity building and upskilling of government personnel to meet the future demands and objectives of Viksit Bharat.

Greater coordination between ministries has also been proposed, with stakeholder departments encouraged to hold initial discussions before Cabinet proposals are finalised to avoid delays and enable "seamless implementation".

The final action point calls for secretaries to function as "leaders of public interest, not followers of departmental interest". They have been asked to take the lead on cross-cutting issues such as Swachhata, Swadeshi, deregulation and decriminalisation and work in the collective interest of the "whole of government", rather than defend narrow departmental boundaries.

"Chaired a high-level meeting with Secretaries to the Government of India and discussed the future action agenda of Ministries and Departments pertaining to Infrastructure and Connectivity, Security and External Affairs and other aspects of Governance. Emphasised the need for effective use of data and AI, wider engagement with universities as well as greater focus on research and innovation across sectors," PM Modi wrote on X.