NEW DELHI, July 1 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday chaired a high-level meeting of secretaries from all central ministries and departments, directing the country's top bureaucracy to accelerate governance reforms, improve administrative efficiency and fast-track implementation of the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, officials familiar with the discussions said. The meeting, attended by cabinet secretary TV Somanathan, principal secretary to the Prime Minister PK Mishra, principal secretary Shaktikanta Das, secretary of the department of military affairs General NS Raja Subramani and secretaries from key ministries, was among Modi's first full-secretary-level interactions of the current financial year. According to officials, the exercise was aimed at aligning the Centre's administrative machinery with the government's priorities for the second half of 2026 while reviewing progress on major governance initiatives and identifying areas requiring faster execution. "A major focus of the discussions was improving the Ease of Doing Business by removing administrative bottlenecks, reducing procedural delays and simplifying regulatory compliance across sectors. Officials reviewed measures to strengthen India's investment climate through reforms designed to make government processes more efficient and predictable," said an official, asking not to be named. The meeting also examined initiatives aimed at improving the Ease of Living through citizen-centric governance reforms. Secretaries reviewed measures to streamline public service delivery, improve coordination among ministries to speed up implementation of government programmes. The Prime Minister also reviewed progress under the Viksit Bharat 2047 roadmap, with secretaries presenting updates on long-term targets, implementation strategies and inter-ministerial coordination required to achieve the government's development goals. A second official said the review also assessed progress under the Centre's "52 Reforms in 52 Weeks" initiative, under which ministries have been assigned time-bound governance reforms. Secretaries briefed the Prime Minister on milestones achieved, pending reforms and implementation challenges across departments. "Officials briefed the Prime Minister on the status of implementation, reform milestones achieved and pending initiatives across departments. The meeting also placed significant emphasis on integrating next-generation technologies into governance. Ministries presented updates on the adoption of artificial intelligence, digital platforms and data-driven decision-making tools aimed at improving operational efficiency and reducing delays," he said....