Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday asked his Council of Ministers to make extra efforts for effective implementation of public welfare schemes at the ground level and work on new ideas in their ministries ahead of the budget.
Addressing a meeting of the Council of Ministers, he also asked the ministers to review their budget expenditures and various programmes to ensure implementation of the party's manifesto.
He said the government has successfully launched a host of schemes that were doing good to public and everyone has to move an "extra mile" to ensure their effective implementation.
Sources said in his brief address, Modi also asked all ministers to be cautious while handling government work and accord priority to the upcoming Parliament session that starts from November 16.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar informed the Council that the Winter Session of Parliament was starting from November 16 and would end on December 16 during which the government is likely to bring at least nine new bills, besides getting the crucial goods and services tax bill approved.
The meeting that was held at the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in Chanakyapuri lasted around four hours also saw detailed presentations on the functioning of "Swachh Bharat" and Skill Development gives by the respective secretaries and interventions by ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
In the presentation made by the Cabinet Secretary on the achievements of the government in the past two months since the last such meeting, it was informed that government is proposing to merge the plan and non-plan expenditures and advancing the budget session to early February.
The presentation made on skill development focused on the roadmap ahead and the impediments that need to be overcome in training the countrymen.
The ministry aims to skill around 40 crore people by 2022 besides formulating a National Skill Plan by March next year with focus on flagship programmes and key growth areas.
The presentation on "Swachh Bharat" mission focused on its success and steps for making it more effective to ensure its maximum impact and complete success to counter any kind of criticism that it is not visible on the ground.
The government is keen to ensure the approval of GST bill after its ratification from states.
It has advanced the winter session to ensure that the Central GST and Integrated GST legislations, which will pave way for the goods and services tax, will be approved within November to ensure its early country-wide implementation.
Photograph: Shahbaz Khan/PTI Photo
