The three-day-long national conference of chief secretaries, which is being chaired by the Prime Minister, is currently underway at Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh.

Deliberations were held on ‘Crop Diversification and Achieving Self-Sufficiency in Oilseeds, Pulses and Other Agri-Commodities’ and ‘Implementation of National Education Policy-School Education’. There were sessions on ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav: Road to 2047’ and the Aspirational Districts Programme.

Lauding the success of the Aspirational Districts Programme, the Prime Minister said the government should strive to make these the ‘Inspirational Districts’ of India and extend the programme to the block and city levels.

The Prime Minister stressed that India’s best, young officers should be posted to the Aspirational Districts to bring about noticeable changes through their creative thinking and fresh ideas. The experience and learnings gained by them while working in these districts would be unparalleled and prove useful for the entire country, he said.

Speaking on education, the Prime Minister said that teachers’ training can be strengthened by leveraging digital technology and learning mobile apps. He stated that award winning retired school teachers could also be roped in for visiting schools and training teachers. He stated that there could be a dedicated TV Channel for teachers’ training.

It may be recalled that in the Budget 2022-23, the GoI announced that 200 TV Channels would be launched for improving access to high quality education in the remotest part of the country. Hon’ble Prime Minister suggested organising competitions among young entrepreneurs, start ups and youth across States for preparation of quality content in various mediums such as drama, animation, mono-acting, etc. in regional languages. The best content creators would be awarded.

During the lunch break, the issue on “Reducing Compliance Burden” was taken up on each table for deliberations.

Several strategies for ‘Aatmanirbhar Krishi’ and for a digital mission in agriculture were also discussed.The need for greater Centre-state coordination for driving India’s infrastructure growth story through PM-GatiShakti was also highlighted.

Secretary (Finance and Expenditure) held an interactive session on the need for sound fiscal management by the states and union territories. He spoke on the need for the rationalization of schemes and autonomous bodies and measures to reduce revenue deficit.

All the states and union territories actively participated, flagged concerns, highlighted best practices and suggested possible solution in every session.

The national conference of chief secretaries is a first-of-its-kind exercise towards strengthening the partnership between the Centre and the states, to build a shared vision for Amrit Kaal.

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DS/LP

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