Ensure common man gains, spread word: PM Narendra Modi to Ministers

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi had an unequivocal message for his colleagues when he met the Council of Ministers on Friday – make sure that the government’s schemes benefit the common man and ensure that these benefits are communicated effectively to the masses.

The PM spoke briefly at the meeting, where three newly inducted ministers made presentations, but his message was clear, people privy to the details told ET on condition of anonymity. “In the run-up to 2019, this is the most important aspect now. While big announcements have been made and schemes announced and rolled out, the crucial aspect is whether the benefits are reaching the last mile.

The PM asked all ministers to focus on this and make all-out efforts in the remaining 18 months of this government’s term,” said a senior minister, who was part of the meeting. The PM also asked the ministers to be more active on social media to share the benefits of the scheme, the senior minister said.


A demonstration of the Narendra Modi Mobile App was made to the council of ministers by a senior official of the Prime Minister’s Office who explained the effectiveness of the application in communicating the government’s message to people and how the app already had more than five million downloads, with more than double the increase over the past one year.

The official told the ministers how the app enabled a common man to interact with the PM, get e-mails and messages from the PM, and how constant improvements had been made to the app to illustrate the work of the Modi government to the masses.

A new messenger module has been added to the app for enhancing the contributions from BJP members on the app and helping them collaborate in conducting polls, taking opinions and capturing the public pulse on various critical issues.

The app also has a module in the form of various private groups for ministers and BJP MPs to converse freely with the PM regarding ideas and programmes.