Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to chair the fifth edition of the National Conference of Chief Secretaries in the national capital beginning December 26. The three-day deliberations, scheduled to conclude on December 28, are being positioned as a key platform to deepen coordination between the Centre and the states, with a strong emphasis on administrative reform, cooperative federalism and the effective execution of national development priorities aligned with the vision of “Viksit Bharat”, or a developed India.
The conference will bring together Union ministers, senior officials from the central government, and chief secretaries from states and Union Territories. Officials described the gathering as the outcome of extensive groundwork, noting that more than 150 virtual and in-person preparatory workshops were held in the run-up to the event. These sessions were designed to ensure that region-specific challenges, best practices and policy concerns from across the country are adequately reflected in the agenda and discussions.
The central theme of the 2025 conference, “Human Capital for Viksit Bharat”, underlines the Prime Minister’s focus on harnessing India’s demographic potential as a driver of long-term economic growth and social transformation. Discussions will revolve around four major pillars: education and schooling, health and wellness, development of economic hubs, and the adoption of frontier technologies. Together, these areas are intended to shape a comprehensive roadmap for building a skilled, healthy and productive population.
Deliberations on education are expected to focus on strengthening foundational learning, improving quality and outcomes in schooling, and aligning curricula with future workforce requirements. Sessions on health and wellness will examine ways to enhance service delivery, expand access to quality healthcare at the grassroots, and improve overall public health outcomes. Conversations on economic hubs will centre on developing cities as engines of growth, encouraging entrepreneurship and investment, and creating sustainable urban ecosystems, while discussions on frontier technologies will explore the integration of artificial intelligence and other emerging tools into governance to improve efficiency, transparency and citizen-centric service delivery.
Over the years, Prime Minister Modi has institutionalised a practice of conducting two major high-level annual reviews. One is the National Conference of Chief Secretaries, which concentrates on governance, development and administrative coordination, while the other is the All India Conference of Directors General and Inspectors General of Police, which focuses on internal security and law enforcement challenges. Together, these forums are meant to address the twin priorities of development and security in a structured and strategic manner.
Since its inception in June 2022 in Dharamshala, the Chief Secretaries’ Conference has sought to bring state and Union Territory chief secretaries, senior Union ministers and officials from NITI Aayog onto a single platform. The objective has been to move away from fragmented, silo-based approaches to policymaking and administration, and instead foster a shared national framework where states and the Centre work in close partnership to achieve common developmental goals.
