Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on June 16 and 17 chair the first national conference of chief secretaries in Himachal Pradesh's Dharamshala during which implementation of a common development agenda and a blueprint for cohesive action to achieve people’s aspirations will be discussed, his office said. More than 200 people representing the central government, all states and union territories, and domain experts will participate in the conference at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement.

Spread over three days, from June 15 to June 17, the conference will focus on the rapid and sustained economic growth in partnership with the states, it said. The conference will be a significant step towards further strengthening the partnership between the Centre and the state governments, the PMO said. "Working as Team India, the conference will lay the ground for collaborative action for higher growth with sustainability, creation of jobs, education, ease of living and 'atmanirbharta' in agriculture," the PMO said.

The concept and agenda for this conference has been curated after more than 100 rounds of deliberations spread over six months, the statement said. Three themes have been identified for detailed deliberations in the conference - implementation of the National Education Policy, urban governance, and crop diversification and achieving self-sufficiency in oilseeds, pulses and other agri-commodities.

Under the National Education Policy, both schools and higher education shall be deliberated upon, the statement said. Best practices from states and union territories under each of the themes shall be presented at the conference for mutual learning, it said. A session on Aspirational Districts Programme to deliberate upon the achievements made so far, with successful case studies, including those on data-based governance, will be held. There will also be a special session on 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav: Roadmap to 2047' and four additional thematic sessions on reducing compliance burden and decriminalisation of minor offences for ease of doing business; Centre-state coordination for achieving saturation coverage of schemes and ensuring last mile delivery; transforming India's infrastructure through PM Gati Shakti; and capacity building: implementation of iGOT - Mission Karmayogi, the PMO said.

The outcomes of the conference will be subsequently deliberated in the Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog, where chief ministers and administrators of all states and union territories will be present, so that an action plan can be finalised with broad consensus at the highest levels, the statement said.?

(With PTI Inputs)?