QuoteIn Government, the welfare of the people and the happiness of citizens is supreme: PM
QuoteEvery citizen must have a feeling that this country is mine & I have to work for the country: PM Modi
QuoteGandhi ji made every person feel he or she is working for the nation: PM Modi
QuoteMahatma Gandhi turned the freedom struggle into a mass movement, we need to make India's development a mass movement: PM

The Prime Minister today interacted with Young CEOs at the "Champions of Change - Transforming India through G2B partnership" initiative organised by NITI Aayog at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra. Today was the Prime Minister's second address in this series, following his interaction with young entrepreneurs last week.

Six groups of young CEOs made presentations before the PM on themes such as Make in India; Doubling Farmers' Income; World Class Infrastructure; Cities of Tomorrow; Reforming the Financial Sector; and New India by 2022.

Appreciating the new ideas and innovations envisaged in the presentations made by the CEOs, the Prime Minister thanked them for the valuable inputs and time devoted to ideation for the benefit of the country.

He said the key decision making team of the Government has listened carefully to the presentations, and will surely benefit in their policy-making, from the 360 degree view of issues that have been presented.

The Prime Minister said people's participation is an important element of governance. Similarly, he said, this attempt at CEOs partnership with Government is aimed at enhancing their participation towards welfare of the people, and the nation.

Recalling India's freedom struggle, he said Mahatma Gandhi made all Indians, soldiers for freedom, even as they continued to do their own work. Hence, he helped the freedom struggle become a mass movement.

The Prime Minister said that today, development too, must become a mass movement. He said that a spirit should be created, whereby we all set targets for our contribution to India, by 2022. You are my team, and we need to work together to take India forward, the Prime Minister told the CEOs.

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Giving the example of value addition in agriculture, the Prime Minister said a multi-pronged approach is essential for achieving desired objectives such as doubling of agriculture incomes. Emphasizing the importance of food processing, the Prime Minister said lack of infrastructure is leading to huge losses in the agriculture sector.

The Prime Minister said the Union Government has taken a number of decisions that have brought about fundamental transformation. He gave the illustration of decisions taken for urea availability and production - such as gas price pooling; remuneration for excess production etc. This led to additional production of 20 lakh tonnes of urea. He said Neem-coating of urea ended its large scale diversion.

He said that the Government wants to move towards making India a less-cash society. He asked CEOs to partner with Government to build momentum in this regard.

Similarly, he said that on occasions such as festivals, Khadi could be promoted through gifting etc - and this would greatly help the poor. He said an atmosphere must be created to take the poor along in every sphere of life.

The Prime Minister gave the example of Government e-Marketplace (GeM) to show how small traders are competing successfully in provision of supplies to the Government. He said 1000 crore rupees have been transacted through GeM so far and 28,000 suppliers have contributed to this platform.

The Prime Minister said Indians must take pride in their own country. He said each one should develop a temperament to promote tourist destinations within India, spontaneously among their contacts.

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Giving the example of "waste to wealth" entrepreneurs, the Prime Minister said that this can help achieve the objectives of Swachh Bharat and clean environment. He said the aim of entrepreneurs and business should be to provide products which solve simple problems faced by people in the country.

Several Union Ministers and senior Government officials were present on the occasion.

Click here to read full text of speech

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PM chairs 46th PRAGATI Interaction
April 30, 2025
QuotePM reviews eight significant projects worth over Rs 90,000 crore
QuotePM directs that all Ministries and Departments should ensure that identification of beneficiaries is done strictly through biometrics-based Aadhaar authentication or verification
QuoteRing Road should be integrated as a key component of broader urban planning efforts that aligns with city’s growth trajectory: PM
QuotePM reviews Jal Marg Vikas Project and directs that efforts should be made to establish a strong community connect along the stretches for boosting cruise tourism
QuotePM reiterates the importance of leveraging tools such as PM Gati Shakti and other integrated platforms to enable holistic and forward-looking planning

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi earlier today chaired a meeting of the 46th edition of PRAGATI, an ICT-based multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, involving Centre and State governments.

In the meeting, eight significant projects were reviewed, which included three Road Projects, two projects each of Railways and Port, Shipping & Waterways. The combined cost of these projects, spread across different States/UTs, is around Rs 90,000 crore.

While reviewing grievance redressal related to Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), Prime Minister directed that all Ministries and Departments should ensure that the identification of beneficiaries is done strictly through biometrics-based Aadhaar authentication or verification. Prime Minister also directed to explore the potential for integrating additional programmes into the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, specifically those aimed at promoting child care, improving health and hygiene practices, ensuring cleanliness, and addressing other related aspects that contribute to the overall well-being of the mother and newly born child.

During the review of infrastructure project concerning the development of a Ring Road, Prime Minister emphasized that the development of Ring Road should be integrated as a key component of broader urban planning efforts. The development must be approached holistically, ensuring that it aligns with and supports the city’s growth trajectory over the next 25 to 30 years. Prime Minister also directed that various planning models be studied, with particular focus on those that promote self-sustainability, especially in the context of long-term viability and efficient management of the Ring Road. He also urged to explore the possibility of integrating a Circular Rail Network within the city's transport infrastructure as a complementary and sustainable alternative for public transportation.

During the review of the Jal Marg Vikas Project, Prime Minister said that efforts should be made to establish a strong community connect along the stretches for boosting cruise tourism. It will foster a vibrant local ecosystem by creating opportunities for business development, particularly for artisans and entrepreneurs associated with the 'One District One Product' (ODOP) initiative and other local crafts. The approach is intended to not only enhance community engagement but also stimulate economic activity and livelihood generation in the regions adjoining the waterway. Prime Minister stressed that such inland waterways should be drivers for tourism also.

During the interaction, Prime Minister reiterated the importance of leveraging tools such as PM GatiShakti and other integrated platforms to enable holistic and forward-looking planning. He emphasized that the use of such tools is crucial for achieving synergy across sectors and ensuring efficient infrastructure development.

Prime Minister further directed all stakeholders to ensure that their respective databases are regularly updated and accurately maintained, as reliable and current data is essential for informed decision-making and effective planning.

Up to the 46th edition of PRAGATI meetings, 370 projects having a total cost of around Rs 20 lakh crore have been reviewed.