Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the 5th National Conference of Chief Secretaries in Delhi on 27-28 December 2025. The overall conference ran from 26 to 28 December 2025 and its overarching theme was "Human Capital for Viksit Bharat". For exam preparation, this is not just a date-based current-affairs update; it is a useful example of cooperative federalism, Centre-State coordination and development administration.
The conference strengthened Centre-State partnership through structured and sustained dialogue on national development priorities such as infrastructure, digital governance and sustainable growth. Anchored in the Prime Minister's vision of cooperative federalism, it functions as a forum where the Centre and States collaborate on a common development agenda. The human-capital focus means moving beyond viewing India's population only as a demographic dividend and linking it with education systems, skilling initiatives and future-ready employment opportunities.
The five key discussion areas were early childhood education, schooling, skilling, higher education, sports and extracurricular activities. Special sessions covered deregulation in States, technology in governance, AgriStack for smart supply chain and market linkages, One State, One World Class Tourist Destination, Atmanirbhar Bharat and Swadeshi, and plans for a post-LWE future. Focused meal-time deliberations were also planned on heritage and manuscript preservation and digitisation, and Ayush for All: Integrating Knowledge in primary healthcare delivery.
For RAS and UPSC prelims, the topic links with current affairs, governance and schemes. For mains, it can be used as an example for cooperative federalism, the role of States in policy-making, human capital formation, digital governance and inclusive growth.