"Forget Past, Focus On Future": PM Modi's Message To Ministers At Marathon Meet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a marathon four-and-a-half-hour meeting on Thursday with the Council of Ministers, where he delivered a strong message ahead of the government completing 12 years at the Centre next month.

Sources told NDTV that the Prime Minister asked his ministers to focus on the future, accelerate reforms and ensure that governance remains centred on public welfare and ease of living.

"Forget what happened in the past, focus on the future," PM Modi had told the ministers at the closed-door meeting, sources said.

The high-level meeting comes amid a buzz of a possible cabinet reshuffle before June 9, when PM Modi's government completes 12 years and two years of its third term.

According to sources, the Prime Minister stressed that every ministry must work with "Viksit Bharat 2047" as the guiding vision and said reforms should not remain confined to files but translate into faster and simpler governance for citizens.

Sources said PM Modi emphasised that files must move swiftly without unnecessary bureaucratic delays and ministers should maximise productivity within the available time.

Nine departments made presentations before the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers. These included Agriculture, Forestry, Labour, Road Transport, Corporate Affairs, External Affairs, Commerce and Power, sources told NDTV.

The Prime Minister also underlined the need to bring simplicity into government functioning and ensure that public interest remains the foremost priority across ministries.

Sources said PM Modi asked the ministers to take the government's 12-year journey, welfare initiatives and reform agenda, directly to the people.

The meeting also included a presentation on the achievements and reforms carried out over the last 12 years. Ministries had earlier submitted detailed reports to the Cabinet Secretariat outlining reforms undertaken over the past two years and future policy plans.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also briefed the Council of Ministers on the government's recent five-nation diplomatic outreach, which sources described as successful.

This was the first meeting of the full Council of Ministers in nearly eleven months. The last one was held on June 4 last year.

Sources told NDTV that PM Modi is expected to sharpen the government's reform push in the coming months amid global uncertainties and ongoing tensions in West Asia.