Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, 20 August chaired the third high-level meeting with secretaries to the Government of India at his official residence, 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, New Delhi. The session focused on the future action agenda of ministries and departments covering infrastructure and connectivity, security and external affairs, and governance.

Breaking the Silo Mindset

Addressing what he described as one of the central challenges in government functioning, Modi said silos are not merely an organisational problem but a mindset issue. He noted that silos can be both horizontal and vertical within the bureaucratic structure, and called on officials to take ownership of their responsibilities and work with a spirit of belongingness.

Drawing on real precedent, the Prime Minister cited the COVID-19 pandemic and the West Asia crisis as instances when departments shed their silos and coordinated effectively. He said such cross-departmental coordination should become a natural, institutionalised part of government work culture rather than an emergency-only response.

Data as a National Asset

The Prime Minister described data as a national asset and a resource for the future. He observed that while the government invests significant resources in collecting, storing, and managing data, fragmented departmental systems and silos prevent it from realising its full potential. He called for greater interoperability and more effective data use across ministries.

This comes amid the Centre's broader push on digital public infrastructure, where data-sharing gaps between departments have been a persistent implementation bottleneck.

AI, Defence, and Maritime Priorities

On technology, Modi called for the effective deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) while ensuring human intervention and judgement remain central. He urged officials to explore innovative ways of combining AI capabilities with human expertise rather than treating the two as substitutes.

In the defence sector, the Prime Minister stressed the need to make India's defence industry more globally competitive, and called for developing innovative defence courses and strengthening human resource development in the sector.

On the maritime front, he called for a comprehensive approach, recalling that shipbuilding had been accorded infrastructure status. He urged an assessment of whether the intended objectives are being achieved in mission mode, and reiterated the need to shift from port development to port-led development, with better connectivity between manufacturing units and export-oriented units.

Engaging Youth and Universities

The Prime Minister also stressed greater engagement between government departments, universities, and young people to bring fresh and unconventional perspectives into policymaking. He encouraged senior officers to engage more personally with junior colleagues and build stronger networks across cadres and departments.

Whole-of-Government Approach

Concluding the session, Modi reiterated the need for a whole-of-government approach, greater coordination, innovative thinking, and collective ownership. The Cabinet Secretary, secretaries of key ministries and departments, and senior officials from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) attended the meeting. Secretaries shared their perspectives on key priorities and implementation challenges during the discussions.

This was the third in a series of such high-level consultations, with the previous two sessions having already covered other groups of secretaries — signalling a sustained effort by the Prime Minister to set a unified direction across the bureaucracy ahead of key policy cycles.