Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to convene a second two-day round of the Chintan Shivir in October, with the dates yet to be finalised, people familiar with the matter said.
The meeting was originally scheduled for September 29 and 30 but was postponed because several Union ministers had prior official engagements, the people said.
The second round is expected to build on discussions held during the first Chintan Shivir on September 23 and 24, with ministers likely to examine practices that could help expand the government's reach among beneficiaries and voters. Ministries are also expected to review schemes and programmes that have not produced the intended results or have seen limited uptake.
Second round to review schemes and outreach
People aware of the discussions said schemes that have underperformed could subsequently be examined at the Prime Minister's Office. A decision could then be taken on whether such programmes need to be pursued more aggressively or discontinued.
The next round is also expected to focus on best practices that could improve the government's outreach among voters, according to people familiar with the matter.
The September session had focused on three broad aspects of governance: policymaking, implementation and the experience of citizens accessing government services. Ministers were asked to present details of the work undertaken by their respective ministries.
The exercise formed part of a wider review of government functioning. Other reports on the September session said the discussions also covered ongoing initiatives, future priorities and reforms linked to the government's Viksit Bharat@2047 vision.
Ministers divided into discussion groups
During the first round, ministers were divided into four groups of 17 to 18 members each for discussions with Modi.
A key focus that emerged from the deliberations was targeted outreach to women and young people, along with schemes aimed at recognising the role of women in agriculture, the people cited above said.
Modi also asked ministers to concentrate on “beneficiaries ko jodna”, or bringing more beneficiaries into the fold, as part of efforts to improve governance.
The discussions also examined whether new sections of the population could be brought under government programmes. Ministers considered ways to increase voter-list enrolment and strengthen links between ministries and their respective stakeholders.
One person familiar with the discussions told HT that the meeting was not focused solely on a long-term 2047 plan and described it as having a political focus on expanding outreach and reaching voters.
Broader governance exercise
The Chintan Shivir follows a series of consultations and reviews involving the Union Council of Ministers. Ahead of the September session, Modi had also interacted separately with ministers of state and ministers of state with independent charge, according to reports.
The September 23-24 exercise was held at Seva Teerth in New Delhi. Reports said ministers made presentations on the work undertaken by their departments, achievements and future plans, with Modi interacting directly with discussion groups.
The Chintan Shivir is part of a continuing exercise that has included discussions on governance, reforms and longer-term priorities. Earlier reports had said the process was linked to the Viksit Bharat@2047 roadmap and involved work undertaken by ministries, departments, the Cabinet Secretariat and NITI Aayog.
The October session is therefore expected to continue the review of government programmes while examining implementation gaps, outreach and ways to improve delivery and the public experience of government services.