Underlining that running a government is a collective responsibility, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday suggested to his Council of Ministers that they should have comprehensive knowledge of governance issues going beyond their respective ministries, sources said.
Mr. Modi suggested them to identify redundant laws in their ministries and move towards scrapping them, the sources said. He asked them to take steps to ensure the delivery of government schemes on the ground.
In line with the government’s reform agenda, several presentations including on rationalisation of autonomous bodies and decriminalisation of certain minor offences were made by senior bureaucrats in the Union Council of Ministers’ meeting chaired by the Prime Minister.
Five presentations
In total, five presentations were made in the meeting which lasted for nearly four hours.
The topics of the presentation included 75 ‘Amrit Sarovars’ in every district, implementation of 2022-23 budget announcements, rationalisation of autonomous bodies, decriminalisation of offences and capacity building commission, the sources said.
Mr. Modi specifically told the Ministers that the budget allocated to their ministries should be fully utilised, while ensuring the last-mile delivery of government schemes, the sources said.
He told the Ministers that they should have comprehensive knowledge about issues related to governance and policy, going beyond their respective ministries, they said.
In the meeting, the Prime Minister also suggested that the Ministers meet once in six weeks to discuss governance issues, the sources added.
The Amrit Sarovar initiative is a part of the government’s water conservation measures. Under this programme, 75 water bodies will be developed and rejuvenated in each district to mark ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, to celebrate the 75th year of the country’s independence.
The government has been taking several measures to rationalise autonomous bodies along with decriminalising minor offences which are no more relevant.
