Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was a man of courage and conviction: PM Modi
Bangabandhu was absolutely clear that hatred and negativity could never be the foundation of any country's development: PM Modi
In the last few years, India and Bangladesh have written a golden chapter in bilateral ties and given a new dimension and direction to our partnership: PM Modi

Namaskar!

Many greetings and good wishes from 130 crore Indian brothers and sisters to entire Bangladesh, on the auspicious occasion of the 100th birth anniversary of `Jatir Pita’ Bangabandhu, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

 Friends, Sheikh Hasina Ji had personally invited me to be part of this historic occasion, however, it could not be possible due to Corona Virus. Later, Sheikh Hasina Ji herself suggested an option and I am connecting with you through a video link.

Friends,Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was one of the greatest personalities of the last century. His entire life is a tremendous inspiration for all of us.

Bangabandhu means---

A leader of courage

A man of conviction

A sage of peace

A champion of justice, equality and dignity

A hand of defiance against brutality, and,

A shield against coercion

These qualities of him gave a new energy to lakhs of youth in those times, to face all the challenges for liberation of Bangladesh. Today, it gives me great happiness, when I see people of Bangladesh dedicating themselves day and night towards making their dear nation, `Shonar Bangla’, as was dreamt by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Friends, Life of Bangabandhu gives a great message to the world of 21st Century. We all are well aware, how a repressive and cruel regime, disregarding all democratic values, unleashed a reign of injustice on `Bangla Bhumi’ and devastated its people.

He had devoted every moment of his life towards bringing Bangladesh out of the phase of devastation and genocide and making it into a positive and progressive society. He was absolutely clear that hatred and negativity can never be the foundation of any country’s development.

However, his these very ideas and efforts were not liked by certain people and they snatched him from us. Bangladesh and all of us were fortunate that PM Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana had blessings of God. Otherwise, supporters of violence and hatred left no stone unturned.

We are all witnessing that how, making terror and violence weapons of politics and diplomacy destroys a society and a nation. The world is also watching where the supporters of terror and violence are currently placed and in what state they are, while Bangladesh is scaling new heights.

Friends, Bangladesh is moving ahead, inspired by Bangabandhu and under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina with Inclusive and Development Oriented Policies and this is really commendable.

Be it economy, other social indices or sports, today Bangladesh is setting new benchmarks. It has made unprecedented progress in many fields like skill, education, health, women empowerment, micro finance.

I am also happy to mention that in last 5-6 years, India and Bangladesh have scripted a golden chapter of bilateral ties and given new dimension and direction to our partnership. This is because of increasing trust between the two countries that we have been able to amicablyresolve complex issues like Land Boundary and Maritime Boundary.

Today, Bangladesh is not only India’s biggest trading partner in South Asia but also development partner. Electricity generated in India is lighting up lakhs of houses and factories in Bangladesh. A new dimension has been added to our relations through Friendship Pipeline.

Be it road, rail, air, waterway or internet, our cooperation in several sectors is connecting people of our two countries even more.

Friends, our heritage comes from intellectuals like Tagore, QaziNazrul Islam, UstadAlauddin Khan, Lalon Shah, Jibanananda Das and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar.

Legacy and inspiration of Bangabandhu has made our heritage more comprehensive. India has always been attached to his ideals and values. Deep rooted relations between India and Bangladesh have been laid on the foundation of this shared heritage.

This heritage of ours, the deep rooted bond, path shown by Bangabandhu are the strong foundation of Partnership, Progress and Prosperity of the two countries in this decade as well.

Next year will be 50 years of Bangladesh’s liberation and year 2022 will be the 75th anniversary of India’s independence. I am confident that both these milestones will not only take development of India and Bangladeshto a new height, but will also strengthen the bond of friendship between the two countries.

Once again, I extend my greetings to the whole Bangladesh on the occasion of Bangabandhu Centenary Year.

Jai Bangla, Jai Hind !!

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PM chairs Fifth National Conference of Chief Secretaries in Delhi
December 28, 2025
Viksit Bharat is synonymous with quality and excellence in governance, delivery and manufacturing: PM
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the 5th National Conference of Chief Secretaries in Delhi, earlier today. The three-day Conference was held in Pusa, Delhi from 26 to 28 December, 2025.

Prime Minister observed that this conference marks another decisive step in strengthening the spirit of cooperative federalism and deepening Centre-State partnership to achieve the vision of Viksit Bharat.

Prime Minister emphasised that Human Capital comprising knowledge, skills, health and capabilities is the fundamental driver of economic growth and social progress and must be developed through a coordinated Whole-of-Government approach.

The Conference included discussions around the overarching theme of ‘Human Capital for Viksit Bharat’. Highlighting India's demographic advantage, the Prime Minister stated that nearly 70 percent of the population is in the working-age group, creating a unique historical opportunity which, when combined with economic progress, can significantly accelerate India's journey towards Viksit Bharat.

Prime Minister said that India has boarded the “Reform Express”, driven primarily by the strength of its young population, and empowering this demographic remains the government’s key priority. Prime Minister noted that the Conference is being held at a time when the country is witnessing next-generation reforms and moving steadily towards becoming a major global economic power.

He further observed that Viksit Bharat is synonymous with quality and excellence and urged all stakeholders to move beyond average outcomes. Emphasising quality in governance, service delivery and manufacturing, the Prime Minister stated that the label "Made in India' must become a symbol of excellence and global competitiveness.

Prime Minister emphasised the need to strengthen Aatmanirbharta, stating that India must pursue self-reliance with zero defect in products and minimal environmental impact, making the label 'Made in India' synonymous with quality and strengthen our commitment to 'Zero Effect, Zero Defect.’ He urged the Centre and States to jointly identify 100 products for domestic manufacturing to reduce import dependence and strengthen economic resilience in line with the vision of Viksit Bharat.

Prime Minister emphasised the need to map skill demand at the State and global levels to better design skill development strategies. In higher education too, he suggested that there is a need for academia and industry to work together to create high quality talent.

For livelihoods of youth, Prime Minister observed that tourism can play a huge role. He highlighted that India has a rich heritage and history with a potential to be among the top global tourist destinations. He urged the States to prepare a roadmap for creating at least one global level tourist destination and nourishing an entire tourist ecosystem.

PM Modi said that it is important to align the Indian national sports calendar with the global sports calendar. India is working to host the 2036 Olympics. India needs to prepare infrastructure and sports ecosystem at par with global standards. He observed that young kids should be identified, nurtured and trained to compete at that time. He urged the States that the next 10 years must be invested in them, only then will India get desired results in such sports events. Organising and promoting sports events and tournaments at local and district level and keeping data of players will create a vibrant sports environment.

PM Modi said that soon India would be launching the National Manufacturing Mission (NMM). Every State must give this top priority and create infrastructure to attract global companies. He further said that it included Ease of Doing Business, especially with respect to land, utilities and social infrastructure. He also called upon states to encourage manufacturing, boost ‘Ease of Doing Business’ and strengthen the services sector. In the services sector, PM Modi said that there should be greater emphasis on other areas like Healthcare, education, transport, tourism, professional services, AI, etc. to make India a Global Services Giant.

Prime Minister also emphasized that as India aspires to be the food basket of the world, we need to shift to high value agriculture, dairy, fisheries, with a focus on exports. He pointed out that the PM Dhan Dhanya Scheme has identified 100 districts with lower productivity. Similarly, in learning outcomes States must identify the lowest 100 districts and must work on addressing the issues around the low indicators.

PM also urged the States to use Gyan Bharatam Mission for digitization of manuscripts. He said that States may start a Abhiyan to digitize such manuscripts available in States. Once these manuscripts are digitized, Al can be used for synthesizing the wisdom and knowledge available.

Prime Minister noted that the Conference reflects India’s tradition of collective thinking and constructive policy dialogue, and that the Chief Secretaries Conference, institutionalised by the Government of India, has become an effective platform for collective deliberation.

Prime Minister emphasised that States should work in tandem with the discussions and decisions emerging from both the Chief Secretaries and the DGPs Conferences to strengthen governance and implementation.

Prime Minister suggested that similar conferences could be replicated at the departmental level to promote a national perspective among officers and improve governance outcomes in pursuit of Viksit Bharat.

Prime Minister also said that all States and UTs must prepare capacity building plan along with the Capacity Building Commission. He said that use of Al in governance and awareness on cyber security is need of the hour. States and Centre have to put emphasis on cyber security for the security of every citizen.

Prime Minister said that the technology can provide secure and stable solutions through our entire life cycle. There is a need to utilise technology to bring about quality in governance.

In the conclusion, Prime Minister said that every State must create 10-year actionable plans based on the discussions of this Conference with 1, 2, 5 and 10 year target timelines wherein technology can be utilised for regular monitoring.

The three-day Conference emphasised on special themes which included Early Childhood Education; Schooling; Skilling; Higher Education; and Sports and Extracurricular Activities recognising their role in building a resilient, inclusive and future-ready workforce.

Discussion during the Conference

The discussions during the Conference reflected the spirit of Team India, where the Centre and States came together with a shared commitment to transform ideas into action. The deliberations emphasised the importance of ensuring time-bound implementation of agreed outcomes so that the vision of Viksit Bharat translates into tangible improvements in citizens’ lives. The sessions provided a comprehensive assessment of the current situation, key challenges and possible solutions across priority areas related to human capital development.

The Conference also facilitated focused deliberations over meals on Heritage & Manuscript Preservation and Digitisation; and Ayush for All with emphasis on integrating knowledge in primary healthcare delivery.

The deliberations also emphasised the importance of effective delivery, citizen-centric governance and outcome-oriented implementation to ensure that development initiatives translate into measurable on-ground impact. The discussions highlighted the need to strengthen institutional capacity, improve inter-departmental coordination and adopt data-driven monitoring frameworks to enhance service delivery. Focus was placed on simplifying processes, leveraging technology and ensuring last-mile reach so that benefits of development reach every citizen in a timely, transparent and inclusive manner, in alignment with the vision of Viksit Bharat.

The Conference featured a series of special sessions that enabled focused deliberations on cross-cutting and emerging priorities. These sessions examined policy pathways and best practices on Deregulation in States, Technology in Governance: Opportunities, Risks & Mitigation; AgriStack for Smart Supply Chain & Market Linkages; One State, One World Class Tourist Destination; Aatmanirbhar Bharat & Swadeshi; and Plans for a post-Left Wing Extremism future. The discussions highlighted the importance of cooperative federalism, replication of successful State-level initiatives and time-bound implementation to translate deliberations into measurable outcomes.

The Conference was attended by Chief Secretaries, senior officials of all States/Union Territories, domain experts and senior officers in the centre.