Addressing the 4th national conference of Chief Secretaries in New Delhi, which was held between December 13 and December 15, the PM impressed upon the top officials of the states that these moves would lead to immense socio-economic benefits.

A senior official of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), who was privy to the deliberations at the conference, said the states were also directed, via their participating chief secretaries, to explore ‘viability gap funding’ for recycling e-waste, as this would get converted into a useful resource, thereby lessening the country’s dependence on the import of such material.

The official said the PM had observed that the biggest benefit of the conference was that ‘Team India’ had come together to discuss with an open mind and to work together for a ‘Viksit Bharat’ by keeping ‘Pro-People Proactive Good Governance (P2G2)’ at the core of governance. 

“In different sessions, the discussions took place around the overarching theme of ‘Promoting Entrepreneurship, Employment and Skilling — Leveraging the Demographic Dividend’," the official added.

Appreciating the advent of start-ups, especially in Tier 2/3 cities, the official said states were exhorted to encourage such innovations and work towards providing an environment where such initiatives and innovations can flourish.

The official further said that the PM also asked the chief secretaries to reform the governance model in such a way that encourages citizen's participation ("Jan Bhagidari") by simplifying compliances that often cause harassment for citizens. It is also important to inform people of the government's various initiatives, the Chief Secretaries were told.

During the conference, the top officers from the states appreciated the ‘GOBARdhan’ programme of converting waste into wealth, as this is now being seen as a big energy resource, the official said, adding that the initiative also helps in making aged cattle an asset rather than a liability.

Old manuscripts were Bharat’s treasure, technology should be used to digitise these and the states should take steps towards it, PM Modi is learnt to have also told the officers. 

The PM encouraged the officers to work for human resources development in order to develop cities as centres of economic growth, and emphasised developing institutions that specialised in urban governance, water and environment management. He also stressed upon providing adequate urban accommodation, which would in turn lead to better productivity in the manufacturing sector in new industrial hubs.

Remembering the first Home Minister of the country, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, by describing him as an inspiration for all civil servants, the PM asked the officers to work towards achieving his dream of a strong and united India.