PM Modi Meets Secretaries, Discusses Self-Reliance and Ease of Doing Business

NEW DELHI: Concerns about cheap imports from China, including dumping of some products, at a time when its growth has slowed down found a reflection at PM Narendra Modi’s meeting with secretaries Tuesday, where steel and renewable energy ministries highlighted the need to protect domestic players from subsidised shipments. Officials present in the meeting said home secretary Govind Mohan stressed on the need to indigenise cybersecurity systems and AI to avoid any foreign player weaponising them. Defence secretary R K Singh also highlighted the need to achieve self reliance in weapons and ammunition as he referred to the recent wars in West Asia and Ukraine. TOI has learnt that steel secretary Sandeep Paundrik said that while steel consumption in India is increasing, there is a fall in demand in other countries, including China. At such a time govt needs to take steps to protect Indian players and to prevent dumping of foreign products at cheaper rates. Pointing out that since the MSME sector accounts for roughly 45% of the country’s total crude steel output, the PM suggested that there is a need to take necessary steps, an official said. Some of Chinese steel is also being routed through Asean countries. Similarly, renewable energy secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi raised the issue of India’s high dependence on solar cells while there is self-sufficiency in solar panels. He also underlined the need to support domestic players and local production. The three-and-a half-hour meeting, which focused on ‘deregulation and other reforms for ease of doing business and ease of living’ and ‘promoting self-reliance’, started on a lighter note with the PM telling the secretaries that he won’t speak. “I will be in listening mode today,” the PM said, according to an official. Over three dozen secretaries spoke for three minutes each. During the meeting, PM made a brief observation, saying while it’s a matter of great satisfaction that more areas are coming under Ramsar sites — wetlands designated of international importance — reserved forests, there is a need to have a “whole of govt approach” and to use the GatiShakti framework for better decision making. In an official release, the PMO said, “PM stressed the importance of adopting a whole-of-govt approach and breaking departmental silos. Highlighting the importance of integrated planning and coordination, he encouraged wider utilisation of the PM GatiShakti as an effective platform for inter-departmental coordination and informed decision-making.” In a key observation about govt websites, cabinet secretary T V Somanathan urged all secretaries to make the official portals “user-freindly”. PMO said during the interaction, secretaries highlighted ongoing efforts to translate PM’s vision into actionable outcomes, while also discussing sector-specific challenges and outlining their future strategies to enhance governance and service delivery. Modi asked secretaries to focus on the tangible impact of schemes on people’s lives.