Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the Secretaries of various Ministries to come up with new ideas and proposals for the forthcoming Union Budget. Mr Modi also directed government departments to pre-pone budget related processes by three months, so that the moment a new financial year begins on 1st April, the work could begin as per provisions of new Budget in real-time.

Interacting with Secretaries over high tea in New Delhi, he called for shifting government emphasis from output to outcome.

Referring to the Swachhta Abhiyaan, the Prime Minister said that based on feedback he is receiving on social media, attitudes of people are beginning to change, and the entire mission is already becoming people-driven. Mr. Modi said cleanliness is not about resources but about attitudes.

He also suggested that all Secretaries visit the place of their first posting for a couple of days, as this would provide them several new insights on policy-making. Mr. Modi called upon the senior government officers to study the ideas and suggestions being received on the MyGov platform.
Asking Secretaries to work fearlessly in the interest of the nation, he assured them that there will be no political interference.

During the meeting, over 80 Secretary-level officers were present and expressed their views on a range of issues in a free and frank manner. This was the second such interaction that the Prime Minister had with Secretaries, the first being on 4th June this year. Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley and Venkaiah Naidu were also present on the occasion