New Delhi: The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, thanked all the Chief Ministers and Lt Governors for their suggestions and views expressed on various agenda items discussed at today’s Inter State Council Meeting.

Speaking on the Punchhi Commission’s recommendations, the Prime Minister said that the deliberations today marked a good beginning. He said that discussions on the subject will continue, and as consensus evolves on the recommendations, the process of implementation will follow thereafter.

The Prime Minister expressed happiness at the near-total acceptance of Aadhaar as a tool to promote good governance and transparency. He said there are significant savings to the exchequer as a result of Aadhaar. He asked senior officials of the Union Government to collect data from States on the extent of savings achieved. He added that all post offices have now been recognized as payment banks, and this will be of great help in implementing Direct Benefit Transfer.

On education, the Prime Minister said that going forward, just expansion of education is not enough, and the focus should be on quality. He said that the deficit of quality in education can be bridged through technology.

Speaking on law and order, the Prime Minister emphasized that both the Union and the State Governments in India cannot ignore what is happening across the world today. On this issue, he urged all concerned to keep politics aside, and keep national security paramount. He recalled that he had interacted with State Directors General of Police during a three-day conference, and urged all Chief Ministers to follow-up on the discussions that took place in that conference. He stressed on maintaining a visible presence of police forces, and underscored the importance of a good CCTV network in curbing crime. He said that privately installed CCTVs are also extremely useful in this regard. He also spoke of the importance of Inter-State Coordination to curb unlawful activities.

In conclusion, the Prime Minister said that all suggestions given by the Chief Ministers and Lt. Governors will be carefully examined.

PIB