 "Narendra Modi, PM Modi, Modi")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi resumed his official duties on Monday after being sworn into office for a record third term on Sunday at a grand ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. Modi's first decision in office involved authorising the release of the 17th instalment of the 'PM Kisan Nidhi' funds, amounting to nearly Rs 20,000 crore. The move is expected to benefit 90 million farmers.
"Ours is a government fully committed to 'kisan kalyan' (farmers' welfare). It is, therefore, fitting that the first file signed on taking charge is related to it. We want to keep working even more for farmers and the agriculture sector in the times to come," the PM said.
With an increased representation from the National Democratic Alliance partners, Modi will head a 72-member Union Council of Ministers, which will oversee various government ministries for the next five years.
The union ministers are expected to execute the Modi government's key agenda for the first 100-day roadmap over the next three months.
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In March, Modi chaired a key cabinet meeting and instructed his ministers to form an agenda for the first 100 days to ensure the smooth execution of the government's functioning.
Some key deliberations wil include executing policies related to the defence sector. The Centre is expected to work on setting up a new export promotion body, according to a report by the Economic Times. Negotiations for the acquisition of Rafale M fighter jets, and reforms in the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) are among other initiatives on the cards. The controversial Agnipath military recruitment scheme may also be discussed following a strong insistence from BJP's coalition partners, Janata Dal-United and Jana Shakti Party (Ram Vilas).
Besides that, the Ministry of Home Affairs is expected to oversee the implementation of the new criminal laws from July 1. The Modi government is also expected to ramp up the efforts to ensure the conduct of assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Last month, Union Minister Amit Shah had said that the polls in the union territory would be conducted before the Supreme Court deadline of September 30.
