Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday chaired a high-level meeting with secretaries of various central ministries and departments in New Delhi, bringing together the government’s top bureaucrats for discussions on governance and policy priorities.

According to official sources, the meeting was attended by senior officials from across ministries and departments. While specific details of the discussions were not made public, the deliberations were expected to focus on administrative reforms, policy implementation and measures aimed at improving the ease of doing business.

Such interactions between the Prime Minister and senior bureaucrats are considered important for reviewing the progress of key government initiatives and ensuring coordination among ministries on priority programmes.

The meeting comes at a time when the Centre is continuing to push for faster decision-making, improved governance mechanisms and efficient implementation of flagship schemes across sectors. Senior officials are also expected to align their ministries’ priorities with the government’s broader development agenda.

Karnataka Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar has urged residents to ensure that their names remain on the electoral rolls as the state begins a large-scale revision of voter lists.

The Election Commission on Tuesday launched the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise across Karnataka, with booth-level officials set to conduct house-to-house visits until July 29 as part of the verification process.

Addressing concerns over the exercise, Shivakumar stressed the importance of retaining voting rights and warned that people who lose their eligibility as voters could also risk losing access to government welfare benefits.

“The right to vote is the right to live,” the Chief Minister said, adding that some states have already begun verifying welfare beneficiaries through similar exercises.

In a move aimed at helping residents complete the revision process, the Karnataka government has announced the issuance of permanent residential certificates. According to state authorities, these certificates can be obtained both online through the Seva Sindhu portal and offline at designated citizen service centres across the state.

State election officials said the revision exercise will cover more than 5.5 crore electors. Over 59,000 Booth Level Officers (BLOs), along with thousands of supervisors and electoral officials, have been deployed for the drive. Political parties have also appointed more than 1.1 lakh Booth Level Agents to assist in the process.

Officials clarified that BLOs will distribute enumeration forms to voters whose names were included in the electoral roll as of June 16, 2026. No documents will be collected during the initial enumeration phase, and officials have appealed to citizens to cooperate by receiving, filling and returning the forms.

The Election Commission has said the draft electoral roll will be published on August 5, after which claims and objections can be submitted until September 4. The final electoral roll is scheduled to be released on October 7.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge was on Monday formally reappointed as the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Rajya Sabha after taking oath as a member of the Upper House following his re-election.

Kharge’s previous term as a Rajya Sabha member ended on June 25. Following his re-election to the Upper House from Karnataka, Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan accorded recognition to him as the Leader of Opposition with effect from June 26.

The Congress veteran took oath as a Rajya Sabha member in the Chairman’s chamber on Monday. The oath ceremony marked the beginning of his fresh term in the Upper House.

Recognition effective from June 26

According to a bulletin issued by Rajya Sabha Secretary-General P C Mody, Kharge ceased to hold the office of Leader of Opposition after the expiry of his earlier Rajya Sabha term on June 25. Following his re-election, he was once again recognised as the Leader of Opposition under the provisions of the Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977.

Kharge had earlier been elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka during the recent biennial elections to the Upper House.