Take forward reforms, PM tells Ministers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting of his full Council of Ministers in New Delhi on Thursday (May 21, 2026), stressing the reform agenda of his government in the midst of a changing geo political situation.

The last such meeting of a full Council of Ministers was held on June 4. Ministries of labour, power, commerce, finance, agriculture, railways, and even the NITI Aayog made presentations on past work as well as future plans. The presentation also delineated targets for these ministries as well as work already done.

Addressing the meeting that went on for a few hours, Mr. Modi emphasised that economic reforms, taken forward by measures such as the recalibration of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime last year should be continued and planning for reforms that were carried beyond 2026 be put in place.

The meeting was held in the backdrop of the U.S.-Iran war and difficult economic situation that could further result from the event, as well as the appeal made by Mr. Modi in his speech in Hyderabad a few days ago that asked Indians to be judicious with regard to consumption of big items on India’s import bill.

The appeal by the Prime Minister was for Indians to make judicious use of fuel, including to take up measures such as work from home and more online meetings rather than in person, desisting from buying gold for at least a year and abjure foreign travel as well, all items that make up a large chunk of India’s import bill and the impact on the Current Account Deficit (CAD).

The government has been monitoring fuel supply disruptions, inflation and increasing oil prices amid the U.S.-Iran war.

A high-power informal group of ministers, headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, has already been constituted by the government to monitor the crisis and suggest measures to deal with disruptions.