Under PM Modi’s leadership, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development are riding the “Reform Express”-Shivraj Singh Chouhan

A day after Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi issued key governance directives during the Union Council of Ministers meeting today evening, Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday convened a high-level review meeting with senior officials of both his ministries and delivered a clear message that governance must be visible in people’s lives, not confined to files.

The Union Minister directed officials to immediately establish a planned, time-bound and result-oriented mechanism to ensure that farmers, the poor, rural citizens and the common public do not have to run from pillar to post either to avail benefits of government schemes or for the redressal of grievances.

During the meeting, Shri Chouhan said PM Shri Narendra Modi had clearly emphasized that ordinary citizens should not be forced into unnecessary struggles or bureaucratic delays and that the benefits of government schemes must reach them in a simple, seamless and timely manner. Calling this the government’s highest priority, he instructed all concerned departments and institutions, including Agriculture, Rural Development, Land Resources and ICAR, to strengthen grievance redressal systems and make them more effective, accountable and responsive.

He noted that at present, different schemes and departments operate through separate grievance portals and systems, but stressed the need for a more integrated and outcome-oriented mechanism. To achieve this, he directed the formation of dedicated teams of at least 10 officers each in the Agriculture and Rural Development ministries to review complaints, public grievances, representations from elected representatives, letters from citizens and issues raised across various portals on a daily basis.

Shri Chouhan strongly emphasized that grievance redressal should not remain limited to ‘disposal’ on paper. Officials were instructed to verify whether beneficiaries had actually received relief and whether scheme benefits had genuinely reached the intended recipients. He cautioned against situations where records show distribution while beneficiaries receive nothing on the ground.

The Minister also referred to his own experience of directly calling beneficiaries for verification, during which gaps between official records and ground realities emerged in certain cases. He observed that the issue is complex and requires identification of complaint patterns, region-wise trends and scheme-specific bottlenecks, followed by necessary systemic reforms.

He announced that grievance redressal mechanisms would be reviewed every month. The review will ordinarily be conducted on the first Monday of each month; however, due to the busy Kharif season, the June review will take place on the second Monday. By then, he said, the system should become significantly more streamlined, responsive and effective.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s continued emphasis on reforms, Shri Chouhan said every division, scheme and department must identify the exact points where difficulties arise. Whether in the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, road schemes, agriculture programmes, horticulture, insurance, marketing or any other initiative, any process causing unnecessary inconvenience to beneficiaries must be simplified through reforms in rules, procedures and systems.

The Union Minister stressed the need to simplify procedures and eliminate outdated and irrelevant regulations. Questioning the necessity of excessive licensing, he suggested that in many cases, simple registration-based systems could suffice. He directed officials to identify within one week all provisions, complex procedures and policy bottlenecks that obstruct implementation and require reform so that swift decisions can be taken.

The meeting also focused extensively on the use of Artificial Intelligence and technology in governance. Shri Chouhan said AI, digital platforms, data sharing, data-driven decision-making, monitoring systems and inter-departmental coordination should be strengthened across Agriculture, Rural Development, Land Resources and ICAR. He instructed officials to create a dedicated team to study technological integration and submit practical proposals.

He said digital governance can significantly improve both transparency and efficiency, but this would require stronger coordination and data integration across departments. Officials informed the meeting that work is already underway to integrate multiple grievance databases to create a unified grievance assessment mechanism instead of isolated portal-based evaluations.

Shri Chouhan also spoke candidly about the need to transform administrative work culture. He said files originate at lower levels and often carry forward outdated mindsets that complicate decision-making processes. Therefore, improvement is needed not only at the top level but also in file preparation, noting, drafting and decision support at the grassroots administrative level.

Calling drafting an extremely important area, he stressed the need to develop officers capable of preparing clear, strong and policy-aligned notes and files. He directed departments to strengthen training, capacity building and skill enhancement so that files do not get unnecessarily delayed and the quality of decision-making improves.

Expressing concern over pending court cases, the Union Minister said governments often lose cases because the official position is not presented effectively or on time before courts. He directed all departments to prepare lists of pending litigation, conduct reviews, appoint nodal officers, strengthen legal preparation and engage better legal representation wherever necessary, noting that losses in court directly impact public interest.

Further advancing Prime Minister Modi’s message on identifying and removing developmental bottlenecks, Shri Chouhan said every division must identify why work gets delayed, which obstacles hinder decisions, implementation and benefit delivery, and what reforms are required to remove them. He said this exercise should proceed simultaneously under the framework of “Reform, Perform, Transform” along with “Inform.”

He observed that many schemes and reforms fail to achieve full impact because people are unaware of them. Therefore, he emphasized communication with stakeholders through farmer organizations, labour groups, sarpanches, elected representatives, social media, graphics, videos, reels and other creative communication formats to ensure wider public awareness.

The meeting also underlined that reforms already implemented should be publicized in the spirit of a “Reform Utsav.” Shri Chouhan said reforms alone are not enough; beneficiaries and stakeholders should be invited for dialogue and informed about what has changed, how they benefit and what additional improvements are possible.

Referring to the new promotion system in ICAR, he noted that greater importance is now being given to field impact and practical work rather than merely research papers. He described this as a major reform capable of changing institutional work culture and said such reforms should be communicated widely among farmers and the public instead of remaining confined within departments.

Shri Chouhan described partnership with states as the key to success in agriculture and rural development. He said real implementation happens at the state level and therefore roadmap-based partnerships, zonal conferences, scheme-wise coordination and issue-based dialogue with states should be strengthened further. He also indicated that engagement would be expanded even with states that have shown hesitation, as the Centre remains responsible for the welfare of the entire country.

The Minister also stressed the need for stronger coordination among Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, Food Processing and allied sectors. He said integrated farming, value addition, food processing and regional agricultural roadmaps require collaborative functioning among ministries and departments.

The meeting further emphasized preparation of departmental Vision Documents aligned with the goal of “Viksit Bharat 2047.” Shri Chouhan directed every department to prepare its Vision 2047 framework along with annual, half-yearly, quarterly, weekly and daily action plans to strengthen monitoring and improve performance assessment.

He also called for accelerating solarization initiatives in government buildings and institutions in line with schemes such as PM Surya Ghar. Departments were instructed to assess completed and pending work and ensure time-bound implementation.

The meeting discussed effective presentation of the achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s current tenure as well as the broader accomplishments over the past 12 years. Shri Chouhan directed departments to systematically compile achievements and communicate them through press conferences, village-level outreach programmes, presentations, creative content, videos and social media campaigns.

Highlighting the growing influence of digital media, he suggested focusing on short videos, graphics, beneficiary stories and real-life transformations brought about by government schemes. He observed that alongside newspapers and television, impactful digital communication has become increasingly effective.

Referring to Prime Minister Modi’s guidance regarding foreign visits, Shri Chouhan instructed officials to avoid unnecessary overseas travel and ensure that such proposals are considered only in genuinely essential cases. He said the immediate priority is to improve the speed, quality and outcomes of work within the country.

On file disposal, Shri Chouhan clarified that his priority is not merely speed but quality and result-oriented decision-making. He said every rule and every file can affect the lives of many people and therefore decisions must be taken carefully, positively and with full understanding. At the same time, he stressed the need for systems that prevent unnecessary delays and ensure timely discussion of important matters.

Concluding the meeting, the Union Minister delivered a clear message that no department should lag behind. From grievance redressal and reforms to technology adoption, court cases, coordination with states, public outreach, Vision 2047 planning and presentation of achievements, every department must adopt an active, accountable and time-bound work culture to ensure that the benefits of governance effectively reach the last person in line in accordance with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of good governance.