Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday chaired a high-level meeting of secretaries of central ministries and departments, directing the country’s top bureaucracy to accelerate governance reforms, improve administrative efficiency and fast-track implementation of the government’s long-term development agenda under the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision. Prime Minister Narendra Modi (FILE PHOTO/REUTERS) The meeting, also attended by cabinet secretary TV Somanathan, principal secretary to the prime minister PK Mishra and principal secretary-2 to PM Shaktikanta Das, and the secretary of the department of military affairs and secretaries from key ministries and departments, was among Modi’s first full-secretary-level interactions of the current financial year. According to officials familiar with the deliberations, the review aimed to align the Centre’s administrative machinery with the government’s policy priorities for the second half of 2026, take stock of progress on key governance initiatives, and identify areas requiring faster execution. “A major focus of the discussions was improving the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) by removing administrative bottlenecks, reducing procedural delays and simplifying regulatory compliance across sectors. Officials reviewed measures to strengthen India’s investment …