Government administrators should identify “low-hanging fruits”, focus on building team work between the government and society, and those governing aspirational blocks should coordinate with each other and discuss ongoing developments in their respective places, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told a top conference of officials on Thursday, according to a district magistrate who attended the session.

While speaking at the third national conference of chief secretaries in New Delhi, Modi also spoke about the importance of developing the right work culture and achieving goals in a time-bound manner, saidthe district magistrate on the condition of anonymity.

“It is important to build team work between the government and the society. If we get to develop a work culture on how we can lead in the right direction, aspirational blocks will get to excel in every parameter. These might be challenging for some districts, but it is easier for blocks. I would only suggest to trim down the time limit for achieving such goals as extending the time limit dims down the brightness of such ideas,” he said, according to the official quoted earlier.

“The recipe for success is to be confident and a sense of belief should always be there that ‘we can make it possible. Administrators must identify the low hanging fruits. Even small successes should be celebrated … Team building is very important”, the PM said during the meeting.In the meeting organised by the Niti Aayog, Modi also told aspirational blocks to create their own development parameters, apart from the ones that been prepared by the government think tank.

Over 200 people comprising of representatives of the central government, chief secretaries and other senior officials of all states/Union Territories took part in the meeting organised by the Niti Aayog. During the meeting Modi also told aspirational blocks administrators to create their own development parameters, apart from the ones that been prepared by the government think tank.

“Apart from the parameters that been prepared by the Niti Aayog and the state, aspirational blocks must create their own parameters. And whatever steps are taken, people at the lowest level of authority in the administration must be informed about all the details of it. Meeting of mind is very important and this will go be a global model and we will be able to set examples,” he said, according to the official.

Niti Aayog identified the aspirational blocks under the Aspirational Block Programme (ABP) which was launched on January 7, 2023 and focuses on improving governance to enhance the quality of life of citizens in the most difficult and relatively underdeveloped blocks of India. These 500 blocks are located across 328 districts in 27 States and four UTs.

In his address, Modi stressed on the importance of confidence, adding, “….a belief should always be there that ‘we can make it possible.”He also suggested that all 500 aspirational blocks must create a WhatsApp group to coordinate with each other and discuss ongoing developments in their respective places, said the official.“This will motivate all the representatives and, in turn, encourage the country on how these 500 blocks operate. I would only want that our targets are met in time bound manner and quickly,” Modi said, according to the official. He noted that if blocks developed, then its was impossible to stop the development of states, while noting that this strategy had proved to be successful for the Centre and state leaders.

In the meeting, five district magistratesfrom Andhra Pradesh , Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat were asked to give a presentation and discuss issues in their particular areas, said a press release. The officials provided an overview of their respective districts, focusing on issues related to agriculture, and highlighted efforts taken to make administration more seamless, said the official.

The three-day conference that beganon Wednesday will witness the participation of 200 people comprising representatives of the central government, and chief secretaries and other senior officials of all states and Union territories.