PM's first Townhall: What you need to know

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held the first ever Townhall to interact with citizens today, marking the two-year anniversary of MyGov, the government’s citizen engagement platform.

Panelists discussed how we could use digital to the nation’s advantage and advancement.

The following are the key take-aways 

• Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley spoke about how digital is making it easy and efficient to spread information to remote places in India, for example the the LPG SMS Services, even in the villages.
• Minister of IT Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad highlighted how with the coming of social media, citizens can express their opinions, ideas and even solutions that help better the nation, but highlighted that grassroots realities are important. “Getting to know the world digitally is not enough,” he said, “As our PM, Shri Narendra Modi says “Stay Digital and Stay Physical.”
•  Good governance, Health solutions, Farmers, Smart Villages, Tourism, and Foreign policy were some of the topics that were touched upon when the Prime Minister fielded direct questions from the audience.
• “Development and good governance need to stay in sync with each other”, said PM Modi, adding that the first requirement of good governance is to take responsibility of your job.
• Indian manufacturers should target global customers so to as to help in the economic development of the nation.

Also read: What does Make In India mean for entrepreneurs? 

• The PM on healthcare:
  “We have to focus on preventive healthcare, be it sanitation, yoga etc.” Not just health insurance but health assurance needs to be the focus point.
• On Farmers:
  “We need agro infrastructure in the nation."
• On Smart Cities:
  “We have selected 300 villages that will have the same infrastructures as the cities. Development in such a way that the soul of a village remains intact while still getting the luxuries of a city (aatma gaon ki, suvidha shahar ki)”
• On Tourism:
  “If we connect the world with our traditions, it will help our tourism grow”
• PM Modi also commented on these self acclaimed Gau Rakshaks who are a nuisance to the society. He says, most of the cows die consuming plastic and maybe they should educate people about the environment and THAT will be a true sign of a Gau sewak. 

We kept a close eye out for any tips for entrepreneurs, especially for women, but perhaps it’s worth waiting for the next Townhall! Get your questions ready!

Watch the discussion here:

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Feature Image Courtesy: indianexpress.com