PM Modi chairs high-level meet, reviews planning and preparation by ministries to deal with current situation

PM Narendra Modi on Thursday, May 8, chaired a high-level meeting with secretaries of various Ministries and departments of the Indian government to review national preparedness and inter-ministerial coordination. The meeting comes in the aftermath of India's Operation Sindoor which targeted nine terror beds across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on Wednesday.

According to the official statement, PM Modi emphasised the need for continued vigilance, strong coordination between institutions, and clear communication as the Pahalgam attacks on April 22, followed by India's retaliatory attack on May 7 has sent India-Pakistan relations simmering.

The Prime Minister reiterated the Indian government's unwavering focus on national security, readiness, and the safety of its citizens.

What did PM Modi instruct secretaries?

Secretaries have been directed to undertake a comprehensive review of their respective ministry’s operations and to ensure fool-proof functioning of essential systems, with special focus on readiness, emergency response, and internal communication protocols, as per the latest official statement.

What issues were discussed in the high-level meet?

A range of issues — including the strengthening of civil defence mechanisms, efforts to counter misinformation and fake news, ensuring the security of critical infrastructure — were discussed during the high level meet on Thursday.

Ministries were also advised to maintain close coordination with state authorities and ground-level institutions.

Who all attended the high level meet?

The high- level meet was attended by the Cabinet Secretary, senior officials from the Prime Minister’s Office, and Secretaries from key ministries including Defence, Home Affairs, External Affairs, Information & Broadcasting, Power, Health, and Telecommunications.

Operation Sindoor: All party meet conducted

Earlier in the day, the Centre conducted an all-party meeting to brief all political parties on Operation Sindoor. The meeting was chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Apart from Singh, Amit Shah, S Jaishankar, J P Nadda and Nirmala Sitharaman represented the government, while Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge from the Congress, Sandip Bandyopadhyay of the Trinamool Congress and DMK's T R Baalu were among the leading opposition figures in the meeting.

Operation Sindoor — touted as India's deadliest military action till date — lasted around 25 minutes in the early hours of Wednesday, May 7. The strikes began at 1:05 am and concluded by 1:30 am, India informed the media in a press briefing after the operation.