Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, 23 May 2025, shared details of a marathon four-and-a-half-hour Council of Ministers meeting held the previous day, saying deliberations centred on advancing 'Ease of Living', improving 'Ease of Doing Business', and accelerating reforms toward the shared vision of Viksit Bharat. The meeting, chaired by Modi, is the first full Council of Ministers sitting in nearly 11 months — the last such gathering having taken place on 4 June 2024.

What Modi Said

Posting on social media platform X, the Prime Minister described the meeting as productive. 'Had a fruitful meeting of the Council of Ministers yesterday. We exchanged perspectives and best practices relating to boosting 'Ease of Living', 'Ease of Doing Business' and how to further reforms in order to realise our shared dream of a Viksit Bharat,' he wrote.

According to reports, Modi told ministers during the closed-door session: 'Forget what happened in the past, focus on the future.' He reportedly urged every ministry to adopt Viksit Bharat 2047 as its guiding framework and insisted that reforms must translate into faster, simpler, and more effective governance for ordinary citizens — not merely remain on paper.

Key Directions to Ministers

Sources indicate the Prime Minister pressed ministers on several operational priorities. He stressed the need to eliminate unnecessary bureaucratic delays in file movement and asked ministers to maximise productivity within available time. He also called on them to directly communicate the Central government's 12-year journey, welfare initiatives, and reform agenda to the public.

Notably, nine departments made presentations before the Prime Minister and the full Council. These included the Ministries of Agriculture, Forestry, Labour, Road Transport, Corporate Affairs, External Affairs, Commerce, and Power, according to reports. Ministries had earlier submitted detailed reports to the Cabinet Secretariat outlining reforms over the past two years and future policy plans.

Jaishankar Briefs on Diplomatic Outreach

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar briefed the Council on the government's recent five-nation diplomatic outreach, which sources described as successful. The briefing underscored the government's intent to align foreign policy outcomes with its domestic reform narrative ahead of a symbolically significant milestone.

Cabinet Reshuffle Speculation and the June 9 Milestone

The high-level meeting comes amid speculation about a possible Cabinet reshuffle before 9 June 2025, when the Modi government will complete 12 years at the Centre and mark two years of its third term. The timing of the meeting — the first in nearly a year — has amplified those expectations in political circles. According to reports, Modi is expected to sharpen the government's reform push in the coming months against the backdrop of global economic uncertainties and ongoing tensions in West Asia.