Kashmir Impulse Desk

New Delhi, May 21 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday asked members of his Council of Ministers to focus on “next generation reforms” aimed at improving ease of living and transforming India into a developed nation by 2047, sources said.

Addressing a meeting of the council of ministers, PM Modi said the government should set its goals with 2047 in mind, when India will mark 100 years of Independence, and ensure that reform initiatives make people’s lives more comfortable.

Sources said the prime minister outlined a broad roadmap for reforms and repeatedly stressed that governance should remain centred on improving public welfare and ensuring “ease of living” for citizens.

He also told ministers there should be minimal interference in people’s daily lives and urged them to ensure maximum delivery of benefits under government welfare schemes, the sources said.

“This is the time to look ahead, not dwell on what has been done in the past,” the PM told the ministers, according to sources.

While noting that his government has been in office since 2014, he said the focus in 2026 should remain on future goals and achievements, advising ministers to concentrate on governance and implementation.

PM Modi also stressed the need to eliminate delays in government work.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar gave a presentation on PM Modi’s recent foreign tour covering the United Arab Emirates, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy.

Nine secretaries also presented reports on the performance and initiatives of their respective ministries and departments, including work undertaken during the past two years of the PM Modi government’s third term.

Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan briefed the meeting on broader government reform measures and people-centric initiatives, while Rajiv Gauba also delivered a presentation.

The meeting was attended by cabinet ministers, ministers of state with independent charge and ministers of state, and was the first meeting of the council of ministers held this year.

The meeting came after the Bharatiya Janata Party secured major victories in the recent assembly elections in West Bengal and Assam, while the National Democratic Alliance returned to power in Puducherry.

PM Modi has previously outlined his government’s reform agenda for the next decade, saying the government’s “reform express” has delivered systemic transformation and benefitted ordinary citizens.