As it happened: Modi addresses town hall event in Delhi

The event was inaugurated by IT and communications minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. Below are the live updates:

6:41pm: Many gau rakshaks (cow protectors) are involved in that job to hide their illegal business, says Modi.

6:40pm: People who want to do social service should first make cows stop eating plastics and waste, says PM Modi.

6:38pm: People who have set up shops in the name of gau raksha (cow protection) make me angry, says Modi.

6:35pm: A spirit of social service is a part of our culture, says Modi, adding: “We have always helped people in times of need.”

6:30pm:

6:25pm: Our foreign policy is only about ‘India First’, says Modi.

6:21pm: Khadi for nation and khadi for fashion, this must be our guiding principle, says Modi.

6:20pm: If we spend just 5% of our total spend on clothes on handloom and khadi and we will transform lives of our poor, says Modi.

6:17pm:

6:17pm:

6:15pm: Through ‘Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana’, we will be able to provide adequate amount of water to the farmers, says Modi.

6:12pm: Farmer’s son becomes a farmer out of helplessness and not by choice, says Modi.

6:10pm: If there is one sector that can power the economy it’s the agriculture sector, says Modi.

5:58pm: Economic growth of more than 8% for 30 years will bring the best of the world to India, says Modi.

5:57pm:

5:56pm: Despite the purchasing capacity of the world going down, we have a growth rate of 7.6%, says Modi.

5:53pm:

5:50pm: India is among the fastest growing economies in the world, says Modi.

5:47pm: The biggest strengths of a democracy are effective grievance redressal systems, says Modi.

5:46pm: Good governance means those processes that are redundant do not exist, says Modi.

5:40pm: “Last mile delivery” is as important as policies, says Modi, and adds: “The benefits must reach the intended beneficiaries.”

5:40pm: Responsibility with accountability is the hallmark of good governance, says Modi.

5:38pm: Often, governments think only about winning the next election and then their policies are also shaped accordingly, says Modi.

5:37pm: The spirit of a democracy is incomplete if one thinks the citizen’s role stops at voting. Participative democracy is essential, says Modi.

5:36pm: Swachh Bharat (Modi government’s flagship cleanliness drive) is a great example of people’s participation, says Modi.

5:33pm: The PM is being asked questions on good governance, the economy and health sector, tweets the Prime Minister’s Office.

5:30pm: Modi starts interacting with people, thanks citizens.

5:26pm: PM Modi launches PMO app.

5:24pm:

5:20pm:

5:18pm:

5:15pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at the venue.

4:10pm: Digital governance provides an open and transparent society, says IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.

4:04pm: Social media is an empowerment tool..It is also an accountability tool, says Jaitley

4:00pm: Finance minister Arun Jaitley is speaking at the town hall event.

11:55pm: I would like MyGov to become platform to showcase achievements of those common people who don’t get space on TV etc, says RS Prasad

11:40pm: In two years MyGov has become an example of participative democracy through digital medium, says RS Prasad

11:20pm: RS Prasad, MoS cabinet secretary inaugurate second anniversary event f MyGov

IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad at the townhall event in Delhi.

The town hall address saw the launch of new initiatives and distribution of awards to winners of MyGov contests. Fresh ideas to improve user experience and introduce new features for the platform will be invited.

MyGov.in has 3.53 million registered users and 3.4 million comments on 590 discussion themes.

Read| Modi’s townhall today: All you need to know about the mega event