PM Modi to hold 2nd round of Chintan Shivir in October; dates yet to be finalised

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to hold a second two-day round of the Chintan Shivir in October, with the exact dates yet to be finalised, people familiar with the matter said.File photoThe meeting was earlier scheduled for September 29 and 30 but was deferred as several ministers had pre-scheduled official appearances, the people said.The first round was held on September 23 and 24, when ministers were divided into four groups of 17-18 members each for discussions with Modi.People aware of the developments said the ministers were asked to speak about their respective ministries’ work in the meeting.The discussions focused on how departments could improve three aspects of their work namely policy, delivery of those policies and the experience of people accessing government services.Also Read: ‘Chintan Shivir’ sets time-bound roadmap for Viksit Bharat 2047A key outcome of the first round was focused outreach to women and youth alongside schemes aimed at recognising women in agriculture, the above people said.PM Modi also asked ministers to focus on “beneficiaries ko jodna” (bringing more beneficiaries) into the fold, as part of better governance, the people said.The meeting also focussed on identifying new sections of people that could be brought into government programmes, exploring new plans to increase voter-list enrolment and strengthening connections between ministries and their stakeholders.“This was not a meeting for a plan for 2047. It was a political meeting with a sole agenda — how to increase and reach voters,” one person familiar with the discussions told HT.The second round is expected to witness discussions on best practices that could help expand the government’s reach among voters, the people cited above said.Ministries are also expected to revisit schemes and programmes that have either not delivered the intended results or were not taken up, the people said. Such schemes could subsequently be examined at the Prime Minister’s Office, where a decision will be taken on whether they should be pursued more aggressively or dropped, they added.