Modi wants Governors to reach out to poor

New Delhi: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged the governors to play the role of an effective bridge between the Centre and the state and interact with people and social organisations in a manner to co-opt those who are underprivileged.

Addressing the two-day conference of governors, inaugurated and chaired by President Droupadi Murmu, Modi said that the post of governor is an important institution that could play a crucial role in the welfare of the people of the state within the framework of the Constitution, particularly with reference to tribal areas.

The President, vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar and Union home minister Amit Shah also addressed the inaugural session.

A statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said: “In his address, the Prime Minister urged the governors to play the role of an effective bridge between the Centre and the state and interact with people and social organisations in a manner to co-opt those who are underprivileged.”

The conference, which ends on Saturday, will cover a wide range of issues that play a critical role in not only shaping Centre-state relations but also promoting welfare schemes for common people, the statement said.

In her opening remarks, Murmu said it was crucial for the smooth functioning of democracy that various Central agencies work with better coordination across all the states. She also advised the governors to think about how they, as constitutional heads of their respective states, can promote this coordination.

The deliberations of the conference, the President added, will be an enriching experience for all participants and help them in their functioning.

The President expressed confidence that all governors will continue to contribute to the service and welfare of the people, doing justice to the oath taken by them.

With the implementation of three new laws related to criminal justice, a new era of the justice system had begun in the country, Murmu said, adding that the change in thinking is evident from the names of the new laws — Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam.

In her address, Murmu said that quality higher education is an intangible asset as it promotes individual development, social change, innovation and economic progress. She said the National Education Policy places emphasis on improving the accreditation and assessment systems of educational institutions.

The President also urged governors to contribute to this reform process in their capacity as chancellors of state universities.

She urged the governors to suggest ways to achieve inclusive development of people in tribal areas and also underscored that “youth development” and “youth-led development” will gain more momentum if the energy of the youth can be channelled into positive and constructive work.

Referring to the "Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat campaign", the President noted that it enabled the people of different states and Union territories to understand each other and connect with each other.

In his address, Dhankhar referred to the oath of governors and urged them to discharge their constitutional responsibility of making people aware of social welfare schemes and the incredible developments that have taken place during the last decade.

Shah, while addressing the conference, delineated the course of discussions that the two-day conference will take and urged the governors to visit "Vibrant Villages" and "aspirational districts" to instill confidence among people and give fillip to developmental work.

"The Narendra Modi government is working towards making coordination between states and the Centre even more seamless to reach out to a larger number of people with services and solutions," Mr Shah said.

The Union home minister also said this platform served as a meeting point for not only the constitutional heads of the states but also ideas.

The conference is designed to have breakaway sessions in which sub-groups of governors will deliberate on each agenda item, the statement said. Apart from the governors, such sessions will also be attended by Union ministers and officials of the ministries concerned.

Observations and suggestions of the sub-groups will be presented before the President, the vice-president and the PM, along with other participants, during the concluding session on Saturday.