Prime Minister Narendra Modi held seven back-to-back meetings on a range of issues on Sunday, including a session to review the agenda for the new government’s first 100 days.
According to sources, the prime minister also held a meeting to review the preparations to celebrate World Environment Day (5 June) on a large scale. The meetings took place at his residence two days before the results of the Lok Sabha elections were to be declared.
Mr. Modi held a prolonged brain-storming session on the agenda for the first 100 days of the new government in the wake of the exit polls that predicted a landslide victory for the BJP in the just-concluding Lok Sabha elections, the sources said. Earlier in the day, the prime minister chaired the first meeting to review the impact of cyclone “Remal.”.
After this, he chaired another meeting to review the situation arising from the ongoing heat wave in the country and the preparedness for the onset of the monsoon.
Assuring the states affected by Cyclone “Remal” that the Center would continue to extend full support to them, the prime minister issued instructions to the Ministry of Home Affairs to take stock of the situation and review the matter on a regular basis to extend necessary assistance in restoration efforts. At least 36 people were killed in heavy rains and landslides in four of the eight northeastern states after Remal hit the states, bringing normal life to a grinding halt.
While 27 people were killed in Mizoram, including 21 in a quarry collapse in the Aizawl district, four deaths were reported from Nagaland, three from Assam, and two from Meghalaya.” The PM said that the Government of India will continue to extend full support to the states affected by the cyclone.
The PM also instructed the Ministry of Home Affairs to monitor the situation and review the matter regularly to extend necessary assistance for restoration,” the PMO said in a statement.
The principal secretary to the PM. Cabinet secretary, home secretary, secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, DG NDRF, and member secretary, NDMA, along with other senior officials from PMOs and Ministries concerned, were also present in the meeting.
In another meeting, Mr. Modi called for fire and electrical safety audits of hospitals and other public places to be undertaken regularly in the wake of several major fire incidents reported from various parts of the country during the past few weeks. On May 25, seven children were killed in a massive fire at Delhi’s Baby Care Newborn Hospital.
Another major fire tragedy in Rajkot’s gaming zone resulted in 27 fatalities. The prime minister, while chairing the meeting to review the situation arising from the ongoing heat wave in the country and the preparedness for the onset of monsoon at his residence earlier in the day, said proper drills in the prevention and handling of fire incidents should be undertaken regularly.