Prime Minister Narendra Modi encouraged governors on Friday to act as effective intermediaries between the Centre and the states and to engage with the public and social organisations to support the underprivileged.
Speaking at the two-day conference of governors, inaugurated and chaired by President Droupadi Murmu, Modi emphasised the post of the governor as a significant institution that can contribute greatly to public welfare within the constitutional framework, especially in tribal areas.
President Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah also spoke at the inaugural session. "In his address, the Prime Minister urged the governors to play the role of an effective bridge between the Centre and the state and interact with people and social organisations in a manner to co-opt those who are underprivileged," as per the Rashtrapati Bhavan's press release.
The release said the conference ends on Saturday and will discuss various issues crucial for shaping Centre-state relations and promoting welfare schemes.
Home Minister Shah outlined the agenda of the conference, urging governors to visit 'Vibrant Villages' and 'Aspirational Districts' to boost confidence and development efforts.
President Murmu Encourages Governors To 'Promote Coordination' With CMs
In the opening remarks, Murmu highlighted the importance of coordination among central agencies across states for democracy to function smoothly. She also encouraged governors to enhance this coordination in their roles as state heads. "She advised the Governors to think about how they, as the constitutional heads of the respective states, can promote this coordination," as per Rashtrapati Bhavan.
She guided all the governors to think about how they could promote this coordination as constitutional heads of their respective states.
Murmu noted that the conference's agenda covered vital national goals, and the discussions would benefit all participants in their roles. She expressed confidence that honouring their oaths, governors would continue to serve and support public welfare.
With the introduction of three new criminal justice laws, Murmu stated that a new era of justice had begun, evident from the names: Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam.
She also emphasised the value of quality higher education in fostering individual growth, social change, innovation, and economic progress, noting the focus of the National Education Policy on improving educational institutions' accreditation and assessment systems. She urged governors to support these reforms as state university chancellors.
The President also requested governors to make their contribution to this reform process as per their capacity as chancellors of state universities. She added that the Central government had been giving primary focus to the development of the poor, the border areas, the deprived sections and areas, and people left behind in the development journey.
She said if the energy of the youth could be channelised into positive and constructive work then 'youth development' and 'youth-led development' would gain more momentum. The 'MY Bharat' campaign also provides a well-thought-out system for this purpose. She stated that Governors should encourage the people associated with this campaign so that more and more youth are benefited.
Mentioning the 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat' campaign, Murmu outlined that it enabled the people of different states and UTs to understand each other and connect.
The President said several efforts are being made to deal with the challenges such as climate change and global warming and the governors can make a contribution to this by making the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign a people's movement on a larger scale.
She encouraged natural farming and stated that soil fertility can be increased and enhance the income of the farmer. Raj Bhavans can lead by example to promote natural farming.
Vice President Dhankhar reminded governors of their oath and constitutional duty to raise awareness about social welfare schemes and recent incredible developments.