New Delhi, Dec 28 (IANS) Prime Minister Modi on Sunday called upon states to encourage manufacturing, boost Ease of Doing Business and strengthen the services sector with the aim of making India a Global Services Giant, while also urging them to focus on boosting food exports.

On the concluding day of the three-day Fifth National Conference of Chief Secretaries in the national capital, the Prime Minister shared his vision on how Centre and states can collectively work to make India Aatmanirbhar, empower the poor and realise the goal of a Viksit Bharat, an official said.

In a post on X, the Prime Minister said: “Addressed the conference of Chief Secretaries. This year’s theme was ‘Human Capital for Viksit Bharat’. Shared my thoughts on how we can collectively work to make India Aatmanirbhar, empower the poor and realise our dream of a Viksit Bharat.”

He said that during the deliberations, he emphasised the importance of quality in all spheres. “Quality in governance. Quality in delivery. Quality in manufacturing. Let’s work towards making the label ‘Made in India’ synonymous with quality and strengthen our commitment to ‘Zero Effect, Zero Defect’,” he said.

PM Modi noted that the conference was taking place at a time when India is witnessing next-generation reforms.

“India has boarded the Reform Express and the primary engine of this Reform Express is India’s youth, our demography. That is why it is our endeavour to empower this demography,” he said in another post.

Highlighting governance reforms, PM Modi said key steps have been taken to create a new work culture in governance and service delivery, while integrating the latest technology to bring positive changes in people’s lives.

“There were also discussions on skill development, higher education, youth empowerment, sports and more,” he said.

He also stressed that India has the potential to become the world’s food basket. “We must move towards high-value agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries. This is how India can become a major food exporter,” the Prime Minister said.

Calling upon states to play a proactive role, PM Modi said they must encourage manufacturing, boost Ease of Doing Business and strengthen the services sector. “Let us aim to make India a Global Services Giant,” he said.

The conference marked another important milestone in strengthening Centre–State partnership through structured and sustained dialogue on national development priorities.

Anchored in the Prime Minister’s vision of cooperative federalism, the conference served as a platform for Centre and states to collaborate on a unified roadmap to maximise India’s human capital potential and accelerate inclusive, future-ready growth.

The three-day conference focused on intensive deliberations aimed at finalising a common development agenda, moving beyond viewing India’s population merely as a demographic dividend to positioning citizens as human capital.

Based on extensive discussions involving Central ministries, NITI Aayog, states, Union Territories and domain experts, the conference focused on the theme ‘Human Capital for Viksit Bharat’, covering best practices and strategies for states and UTs.

Under this theme, emphasis was placed on five key areas -- early childhood education, schooling, skilling, higher education, sports and extracurricular activities.

Six special sessions were also held on deregulation in states; technology in governance -- opportunities, risks and mitigation; AgriStack for smart supply chains and market linkages; One State, One World Class Tourist Destination; Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Swadeshi; and plans for a post-Left Wing Extremism future.

In addition, focused deliberations were held on heritage and manuscript preservation and digitisation, and on Ayush for All -- integrating traditional knowledge into primary healthcare delivery.

The National Conference of Chief Secretaries has been organised annually over the past four years. The first conference was held in Dharamshala in June 2022, followed by editions in New Delhi in January 2023, December 2023 and December 2024.

Chief Secretaries and senior officials from all states and Union Territories, along with domain experts, participated in the conference.

--IANS

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