Narendra Modi attends Townhall organised by MyGov

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the concluding session of the daylong event organised by MyGov. The Town-hall was organised at the Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex, New Delhi.

The Prime Minister meeting some of those people who have shared their views during #MannKiBaat programme. pic.twitter.com/xdcWVJNTrP

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) August 6, 2016

MyGov is the Government of India's citizen engagement platform which was launched on the 26th of July 2014 by PM Modi to celebrate the spirit of volunteerism and participative governance.

This is the first of its kind Town-hall being addressed by the Prime Minister, and it included launch of new MyGov initiatives and distribution of prizes to winners of MyGov contests - Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat, Duties of a Citizen, Governance Quiz and India-Africa Quiz.

The PMO App has been launched by Prime Minister @narendramodi. pic.twitter.com/oEIVa5ouYe

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) August 6, 2016

PM meets the youngsters who developed the PMO App. pic.twitter.com/NqDpobxm2g

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) August 6, 2016

In a first of its kind initiative, citizens from various corners of the country will also get the opportunity to interact with the Prime Minister.

It was for the first time that the citizens were able to interact one-on-one with senior Government officials and give their suggestions on various on-ground and digital activities run by the Government. They were a part of the discussion panel and provided inputs for policies initiated by Government of India.

Question and Answer with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi:

PM was first asked questions on good governance, the economy and health sector. In reply to which he said,

"The spirit of a democracy is incomplete if one thinks the citizen's role stops at voting. Participative democracy is essential."

"Often, Governments think only about winning the next election and then their policies are also shaped accordingly."

"'Last mile delivery' is as important as policies. The benefits must reach the intended beneficiaries."

"Good governance means those processes that are redundant do not exist."

"Grievance redressal systems are the biggest strengths of a democracy."

"India is among the fastest growing economies in the world."

"If there is one sector that can power the economy it's the agriculture sector."

"The unique spirit of our villages must remain and at the same time they must have facilities associated with cities."

"Khadi for nation and Khadi for fashion, this must be our guiding principle."

PM Modi was then asked questions on foreign policy, tourism and on volunteering. There is also a question on the 'Narendra Modi Mobile App'.

"Our foreign policy is only about India First."

"We are seeing an increase in tourist arrivals in India."

"A spirit of social service is a part of our culture. We have always helped people in times of need."

"Our diversity is our strength. We must leverage it to market out tourism potential."

"I am angry at people who have set up shops in the name of protecting cows. Cows mostly die of eating plastic bags and these Gau rakshaks should urge people not to throw plastic on roads, this will be a big sewa."

About the event in brief:

The event featured multiple panel discussions and the first-ever Townhall addressed by Prime Minister himself.

In keeping with the "Do, Discuss, Disseminate" spirit of MyGov, this event comprised multiple sessions to present and discuss various ideas.

The first session - 'Do' covered Design Contests, Innovation Contests, eGreetings Contests, Volunteering, Poll and Survey functionalities of MyGov. MyGov had invited some of the most creative contributors from across the country for an interactive discussion between them and senior officials representing Ministries who have organised a number of contests to invite ideas about contests and how they can be made more engaging.

The second session - 'Discuss' saw government officials from different departments seated alongside prominent MyGov contributors for an interactive discussion for brainstorming ideas and sharing their experiences.

The third session invited fresh ideas for improving user-experience, introducing new features, and engaging a larger user-base. The panel for this session comprised of social media representatives, MyGov users, members of Parliament who have contributed on MyGov, and senior officers from MEIT and NIC.

The fourth session covered the Disseminate theme, and focused on the #TransformingIndia website (www.transformingindia.mygov.in), eSampark portal and MyGov LIVE Events (Talks) as the primary method of structured government communication with citizens. This session comprised some prominent media personalities, and senior ministers in the Union Government.

The event culminated with a Townhall event with the Prime Minister.