New Delhi, February 12 Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the final meeting of the Union Cabinet at his South Block office in the British-era secretariat building on Friday, before the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) moved to its new complex, Seva Teerth.
All cabinet ministers were present at the 4 pm meeting.
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 needs of the British Raj.
Earlier, the relocation of the PMO to Seva Teerth saw Prime Minister Modi signing important files approving the launch of the PM RAHAT Scheme, which provides life-saving protection to every citizen and aims to double the number of 'Lakhpati Didis' to six crore.
This move marks the end of an era, as all government departments will vacate the North and South blocks, which have been the seat of power since 1921.
The government plans to convert these iconic buildings into the 'Yuge Yugeen Bharat National Museum,' a world-class museum tracing India's civilizational journey.
The relocation took place 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, Prime Minister Modi, along with Union ministers Manohar Lal and Jitendra Singh, and top PMO officials, arrived at the Seva Teerth Complex in a motorcade and inaugurated the complex, which houses the PMO, the National Security Council Secretariat, and the Cabinet Secretariat.
Modi garlanded a statue of Lord Ganesha in the PMO and made important decisions aimed at the welfare of women, farmers, youth, and vulnerable citizens.
The relocation is part of the government's broader initiative to decolonize India's administrative architecture and governance.
The North and South blocks have been the seat of power in the country since 1921.
Earlier, the Ministry of Home Affairs had moved out of the North Block complex in 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 that the new structures housing the PMO and the central secretariat mark an important milestone in India's journey towards 'Viksit Bharat' (developed India) and reflect the government's commitment to citizen-centric governance and national progress.
Modi also said that the towers have been built to fulfill 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.