Prime Minister, Narendra Modi today complimented the States for the good work done in the smooth implementation of Goods and Service Tax (GST) regime and said that the apprehensions with regard to GST have been proven to be unfounded, and a smooth transition has happened. He asked all Chief Secretaries to further boost efforts to increase registration under GST, and to achieve a quantum jump in this regard within a month.The Prime Minister said this while reviewing the progress of flagship central projects in his twenty-first interaction through Pro-active Governance and Timely Implementation (PRAGATI) initiative with Union Secretaries of various Ministries and Chief Secretaries of the States.J&K Chief Secretary, B B Vyas also participated in the video conference.Prime Minister also called upon the State Chief Secretaries to make effective use of Government e-Marketing (GeM) portal for procurement of material and supplies.
He said GeM portal has improved transparency, and has reduced wasteful expenditure. He asked Chief Secretaries to give priority to GeM in government procurements and in this regard submit a report to the Union Cabinet Secretariat.Prime Minister also reviewed the progress of various central projects related to Railways and Road Transport & Highways, handling and resolution of grievances related to patents and trademarks and the status of the Smart City Mission. He appreciated the participation of cities in the challenge route. He said the challenge before everyone is now to ensure implementation and expeditious completion of the work in the 90 identified cities, with high quality. He asked Chief Secretaries to hold regular review meetings, so that bottlenecks, if any, in the implementation of Smart City Mission are addressed on priority.Prime Minister also reviewed the progress of the Forest Rights Act and emphasized the importance of using space technology to determine the rights of tribal communities, and settle claims expeditiously.