New Delhi | Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday chaired the last meeting of the Union Cabinet at his South Block office in the British-era secretariat building before the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) shifted to its new complex, Seva Teerth.
All cabinet ministers were present during the meeting held at 4 pm.
This was the Cabinet's final meeting in the PMO located in the imperial complex designed by British architect Herbert Baker in the early 1900s to meet the requirements of the British Raj.
Earlier, the PMO's relocation to Seva Teerth saw the prime minister signing some important files approving the launch of the PM RAHAT Scheme for extending life-saving protection for every citizen and doubling the number of 'Lakhpati Didis' to six crore.
The move will mark the end of an era, as all government departments vacate the North and South blocks, the seat of power since 1921.
The government plans to convert the iconic buildings into the 'Yuge Yugeen Bharat National Museum', a world-class museum tracing India's civilisational journey.
The shift came on February 13, a day that marked 95 years since the formal inauguration of New Delhi as India's modern capital in 1931.
On Friday, the prime minister reached Seva Teerth Complex in a motorcade along with Union ministers Manohar Lal and Jitendra Singh and top PMO officials, and inaugurated the complex housing the PMO, the National Security Council Secretariat and the Cabinet Secretariat.
Modi garlanded a statue of Lord Ganesha in the PMO and took important decisions targeted at the welfare of women, farmers, youth and vulnerable citizens.
The relocation is part of the government's broader initiative to decolonise India's administrative architecture and governance.
The North and South blocks have been the seat of power in the country since 1921.
Earlier, the home ministry had moved out of the North Block complex at Raisina Hills in Lutyens' Delhi.
Inaugurating Seva Teerth and two buildings of the central secretariat, called Kartavya Bhawan 1 and 2, Prime Minister Modi said the new structures housing the PMO and the central secretariat mark an important milestone in India's journey towards 'Viksit Bharat' (developed India) and they reflect the government's commitment to citizen-centric governance and national progress.
Modi also said that the towers have been built to fulfil the aspirations of the people of India.
"Seva Teerth, and Kartavya Bhavan 1 and 2 mark an important milestone in India's journey towards Viksit Bharat. These reflect our commitment to citizen-centric governance and national progress," he said at an event attended by central ministers, senior bureaucrats and other officials of the central government.
The Friday inauguration marks a transformative milestone in India's administrative governance architecture and reflects the prime minister's commitment to building a modern, efficient, accessible and citizen-centric governance ecosystem, a statement from the PMO said earlier.
