PM Modi Chairs Third High-Level Meeting With Secretaries, Urges Long-Term Strategic Planning

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the third high-level meeting with Secretaries to the Government of India at his 7, Lok Kalyan Marg residence on August 20, 2026. The session reviewed future agendas concerning Infrastructure and Connectivity, Security and External Affairs and Governance as per a press release.

The meeting followed earlier consultations involving two separate secretarial cohorts. Participants comprised the Cabinet Secretary, heads of crucial departments and senior officers from the Prime Minister's Office. During the meeting, the Secretaries shared their experiences on sectoral priorities, emerging challenges and implementation issues. Modi instructed the participants to adopt a long-term strategic perspective to shape the nation's trajectory, in addition to thinking about immediate issues and statistics, the PMO stated.

Breaking Departmental Silos

Modi instructed administrators to cultivate collective ownership and abandon isolated operations. He said, that "silos are not merely an organisational problem but also a problem of mindset". He added that these barriers materialise both horizontally and vertically across institutions.

To highlight effective cross-departmental coordination, Modi referenced the administrative response during the Covid-19 pandemic and the West Asia crisis. He said that such joint efforts must become routine practice.

He urged senior officers to actively build team spirit through informal interaction. He directed them to establish stronger networks across administrative cadres and increase personal engagement with junior colleagues to improve work culture.

Harnessing Data and AI

Modi stressed that "data is a national asset and a resource for the future". He noted that immense resources are spent collecting information, yet fragmented systems limit its utility. He called for solutions to enable greater interoperability across different platforms.

The discussions also covered technology integration. The PMO stated that Modi called for deploying Artificial Intelligence efficiently while maintaining human oversight and decision-making.

To modernise policymaking, Modi recommended greater engagement with universities and young people. He said that inviting external stakeholders into the process brings fresh, unconventional perspectives to government planning.

Boosting Defence and Maritime

Modi called for strengthening India's defence industry to achieve global competitiveness. He directed officials to prioritise research, drive innovation, develop specialised defence courses and strengthen human resource development in the defence sector.

On maritime strategy, Modi urged a shift from basic port development to "port-led development". He called for assessing the objectives of shipbuilding's infrastructure status to ensure targets are met in mission mode.

He also emphasised better connectivity between manufacturing units and export-oriented units to leverage maritime infrastructure. The session concluded with a call for a whole-of-government approach, greater coordination, innovative thinking and collective ownership to address complex challenges.