As cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan fared up, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting with secretaries of various ministries and departments to review national preparedness and inter-ministerial coordination.
He directed the secretaries dealing with critical sectors to remain alert, "fool-proof functioning of essential systems with special focus on readiness, emergency response and international communication protocol."
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In light of recent developments concerning national security, PM Modi also stressed the need for seamless coordination among ministries and agencies to uphold operational continuity and institutional resilience, according to the official statement.
The meeting comes after India carried out Operation Sindoor which targeted nine terror beds across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on Wednesday.
He also instructed the top officers to ensure any supply, particularly of essential items and to take proactive action rather than waiting for orders, and to ensure the security of critical infrastructure.
"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 protocol," an official statement read.
A range of issues were discussed during the meeting. These included, among others, strengthening of civil defence mechanisms, efforts to counter misinformation and fake news, and ensuring the security of critical infrastructure. Ministries were also advised to maintain close coordination with state authorities and ground-level institutions.
The meeting 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.
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.
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