PM meets council of ministers to make preparations for Modi 3.0 govt
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held an all-hands meeting with his council of ministers to discuss and plan crucial priority work, including for the first 100 days of the new government, officials aware of the day-long exercise said.
The marathon meeting in the national Capital lasted till midnight in what is likely to be the last such exercise before the Election Commission announces the schedule for the general elections due in April-May.
On the agenda were plans and initiatives keeping three timeframes in view: the first 100 days of a Modi 3.0 government, the growth path for the next five years, and the long-term goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047.
“PM wants that the general election should not disrupt the growth momentum India has achieved so far, and development works undertaken as on date. In fact, he wants works on the ground to continue as envisaged while the government must fully be prepared to implement next-level of transformational reforms from the day-one of his third-term,” one of the officials said, asking not to be named.
The PM and the Bharatiya Janata Party are confident of victory in the Lok Sabha elections. During the party’s twoday national convention last month, Modi set a target of the BJP winning 370 seats and 400 seats with members of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
This person added that the core thrust is on the long-term Viksit Bharat objective, which aims to put India on a path to becoming a $30-trillion developed economy by the time it completes 100 years as an independent country in 2047.
The Viksit Bharat@2047 blueprint has been a two-year exercise, drawing inputs from national and international experts and corporate honchos. The process began in December, 2021, with 10 sectoral group of secretaries (SGoS) being drawn up to provide a template for a “futureready India” in their respective areas, which has now been completed, the person quoted above said.
These areas are rural and agriculture; infrastructure; resources; social vision; welfare; finance and economy; commerce and industry; technology; governance; and security and foreign affairs.
“PM wants India to remain the fastest-growing economy in years to come,” he added.
According to the second advance estimates data released on Thursday by National Statistical Office (NSO), the Indian economy recorded a robust 8.4% growth during the third quarter of 2023-24. Driven by a push in investment and increase in manufacturing and services activities, the economy is projected to expand by 7.6% in the current fiscal, faster than the 7.3% forecast made in the first advance estimates on January 5, 2024.
A second person aware of the development said the plan initially proposed to boost India’s gross domestic product (GDP) to $6.69 trillion in 2030, $16.13 trillion by 2040 and $29.02 trillion by 2047. “These benchmarks could be changed later based on external factors,” the person aware of the draft roadmap said.