Modi to meet district magistrates tomorrow, discuss New India initiative

The meeting, to be held through video-conferencing, will be held to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Quit India Movement

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to shed some light on the government’s New India initiative during his first-ever interaction with district magistrates on August 9, the 75th anniversary of the Quit India Movement.

Women tie rakhis on the wrist of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan in New Delhi on Monday. (HT Photo)

In the last two years, Modi has frequently used the term ‘New India’ while referring to the government’s policy of taking bold and innovative decisions. He is expected to further expound on the matter on Wednesday, ahead of his Independence Day speech next week.

This would also be the first interaction between the Prime Minister and district magistrates across the country through video-conferencing in many years now. “Former prime minister Manmohan Singh had called a meeting of collectors during the UPA-1 regime. This will be the first such meeting since then,” said a PMO official. India has more than 680 district magistrates.

The meeting also aims to deliver Modi’s message directly to the grass-root levels of bureaucracy at a time when the NDA government has entered its fourth year in power, and is in a hurry to enhance its performance quotient.

The government plans to celebrate the anniversary of the Quit India Movement, followed by the country’s 70th year of Independence, with much fanfare. While Parliament will hold a special session to commemorate the event, Modi will interact with freedom fighters on that day.