Don't fear AI, innovate with tech, focus on de-regulation: PM Modi to chief secretaries

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked States to accelerate deregulation, embrace artificial intelligence in governance and sharply cut red tape, as he chaired the Fifth National Conference of Chief Secretaries in New Delhi, a forum that brings together the Centre and States to align policy execution.

Sources told Business Today that the Prime Minister told Chief Secretaries that governments must not remain mere users of technology but become innovators, particularly in areas such as artificial intelligence. He said there was no need to fear technology or AI and urged States to innovate and embrace it.

The Prime Minister asked States to actively deploy AI tools in governance to simplify procedures and make public service delivery more citizen-centric, stressing that technology should ease people’s lives rather than add new layers of complexity.

Deregulation was also a key focus of the meeting, sources said. The Prime Minister asked Chief Secretaries to set up dedicated deregulation cells across departments and offices to identify and eliminate unnecessary licences, compliances and procedural bottlenecks. He flagged inspector raj and excessive regulatory oversight as persistent pain points and stressed that reducing these frictions was critical both for citizens and for improving the business environment.

The conference reviewed progress on ease of doing business reforms over the past year. Five States — Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Tripura — have completed all 23 identified reform measures, while overall implementation across States has reached about 75–80 per cent, according to sources.

Tourism emerged as another priority area during the discussions. Sources said the Prime Minister asked every State to develop at least one world-class tourist destination, backed by infrastructure and a supporting ecosystem, positioning tourism as a major source of employment and livelihoods for the youth.

On agriculture, the Prime Minister emphasised faster adoption of AgriStack, sources said. The digital framework is aimed at placing States at the centre of agricultural data and service delivery, helping farmers access cheaper credit, better-quality inputs, location-specific advisory services and improved market linkages, while also enabling governments to plan and implement agriculture-focused schemes more efficiently.

The broader discussions at the three-day conference were held under the theme of ‘Human Capital for Viksit Bharat’, with sessions covering early childhood education, schooling, skilling, higher education and sports. PM Modi highlighted India’s demographic advantage, noting that nearly 70 per cent of the population is of working age, and said sustained reforms in governance, manufacturing and services were essential to convert this into long-term economic growth.

The Prime Minister also reiterated that States should draw up 10-year actionable plans with clearly defined one-, two-, five- and ten-year targets, using technology for continuous monitoring and course correction, to ensure that decisions emerging from the conference translate into time-bound action.

The conference was attended by P.K. Mishra and Shaktikanta Das, Principal Secretaries to the Prime Minister, Cabinet Secretary T.V. Somanathan, members of the NITI Aayog, and Chief Secretaries from all States and Union Territories. The three-day meeting was held at Pusa, Delhi, from December 26 to 28, 2025.