PM Modi Forms Ministerial Groups Ahead Of Two-Day Chintan Shivir

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked ministers to form more than half a dozen groups to brainstorm on issues including self-improvement, communication and governance ahead of a two-day “Chintan Shivir” of the entire Union Council of Ministers next week, The Times of India reported.

Each group will comprise eight ministers and is expected to deliberate on specific themes before the government-wide retreat at Seva Teerth in New Delhi. The exercise comes nearly midway through the third term of the Modi-led NDA government.

The two-day retreat is expected to focus on reviewing governance, improving coordination between ministries and shaping the government’s agenda for the remainder of its current term

Ministers To Discuss Governance, Communication

The upcoming Chintan Shivir is expected to follow the format of an earlier retreat held on October 21, 2021, during Modi’s second term.

The 2021 exercise was organised shortly after a major Cabinet reshuffle and focused on governance and policymaking. Ministers made detailed presentations, followed by discussions involving other members of the Council of Ministers.

The next session is expected to feature similar thematic discussions and presentations by the ministerial groups.

Officials said ministries were recently asked to provide updates on action taken on recommendations emerging from the 2021 Chintan Shivir.

Among the directions issued at the time were the creation of live dashboards to track ministry activities, regular reviews of progress and interactions with staff to gather feedback and ideas.

“This was an indication that at any point of time there could be a review of progress across ministries,” an official was quoted as saying.

PM Modi Seeks More User-Friendly Government Websites

The upcoming retreat will also come amid a push to improve the government's communication with citizens.

Last week, Modi asked ministers to work towards making the official websites of ministries and departments more user-friendly.

The latest exercise is therefore expected to combine a review of work carried out since the previous Chintan Shivir with discussions on governance, inter-ministerial coordination and priorities for the government’s next phase.