The meeting focused on the future action agenda of Ministries and Departments dealing with infrastructure and connectivity, security and external affairs, and governance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the 3rd high-level meeting with Secretaries to the Government of India at his residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg earlier today.
Noting that deliberations had already been held with two groups of Secretaries, the Prime Minister said that, besides focusing on immediate issues and statistics, Secretaries should also adopt a long-term perspective on how the country’s future should be shaped, according to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
He also called for exploring innovative ways to combine the capabilities of AI with human expertise. Prime Minister Modi emphasised that data is a national asset and a resource for the future. PM Modi also called for greater engagement between government departments, universities and young people to bring fresh perspectives into policymaking. The Prime Minister concluded by reiterating the need for a whole-of-government approach, greater coordination, innovative thinking and collective ownership to address complex challenges and shape India’s future with a long-term perspective. The Secretaries shared their experiences on sectoral priorities, emerging challenges and implementation issues. The meeting was attended by the Cabinet Secretary, Secretaries of key Ministries and Departments, and senior officials from the Prime Minister’s Office.
Because of departmental silos and fragmented systems, he noted that the government invests resources in collecting, storing and managing data, but its full potential is not always realised. Earlier reporting noted: Wider engagement with universities and youth can bring new, unconventional ideas: PM Modi after high-level meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (August 20, 2026) called for greater engagement between government departments, universities, and the youth to integrate fresh perspectives into policymaking.
He said such coordination mechanisms should become a natural part of the government’s work culture. The Prime Minister called for the effective use of Artificial Intelligence while ensuring human intervention and judgement, according to the PMO. He said wider engagement with universities and young people could bring new and unconventional ideas. Earlier reporting noted: As part of his ongoing outreach to younger generations, PM Modi said that such a wider engagement can birth new and unconventional ideas. Earlier reporting noted: “The Prime Minister called for greater engagement between government departments, universities and young people to bring fresh perspectives in policymaking,” a statement from his office said.
