Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday chaired a marathon meeting of the Council of Ministers that stretched for nearly four-and-a-half hours, focusing on governance delivery, implementation gaps and the possible fallout of the ongoing West Asia crisis.

The meeting, held at Seva Teerth from 5 pm, brought together Union Cabinet ministers, ministers of state with independent charge and ministers of state in what sources described as the first full Council of Ministers meeting of the year.

Sources said the session effectively served as a midterm review of the government’s performance as the NDA government approaches two years in office during its third consecutive term.

According to the sources, PM Modi also asked Union ministers to work with the vision of building a “Viksit Bharat” by 2047, stressing that the goal should be treated as a commitment rather than merely a slogan.

Presentations were made by more than half a dozen ministries, with nine ministries giving detailed briefings on their performance and future roadmap. The Cabinet Secretary and NITI Aayog also made presentations during the meeting.

Sources said the meeting also highlighted ministries that had recorded the fastest disposal of files, with an emphasis on efficiency and timely implementation of decisions.

During the meeting, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also briefed ministers on the Prime Minister’s recent five-nation visit and the key diplomatic outcomes of the tour.

PM Modi is learnt to have referred to the ongoing West Asia crisis and its economic impact, directing ministries to take steps to ensure “minimum inconvenience to citizens”.

Sectors such as energy, agriculture, fertilisers, aviation, shipping and logistics reportedly received focused attention during the meeting.

A high-powered informal group of ministers led by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is already monitoring the evolving situation. Rajnath Singh did not attend Thursday’s Council of Ministers meeting due to his visit to South Korea, while Health Minister JP Nadda is currently in Geneva.

Source: India Today