"The institution of Governor has a special role to play in realising a cooperative and competitive federal structure," the Prime Minister said addressing the inaugural session of the 50th annual conference of Governors at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
In healthcare, education and tourism sectors, there were opportunities waiting to be harnessed for job generation and betterment of the poor and down-trodden, he said.
The Prime Minister said the conference provided an opportunity to the Governors and the Lt. Governors to exchange views and share experiences to adopt international best practices best-suited to each state and the Union Territory.
"As we celebrate 70 years of the framing of the Constitution, the Governors and the state governments should also work towards highlighting the service aspects of the Constitution, the duties and responsibilities of the citizens, in particular," the Prime Minister said.
Invoking the Gandhian ideology, he said, "The Governors and the Lt Governors could use this occasion to project the abiding relevance of Gandhian thoughts and values, a bedrock of our Constitution."
They should work to discharge their constitutional responsibilities by listening to the common man, he said and added, they should work towards upliftment of the underprivileged sections, including Scheduled Tribes, minority, women and youth.
In the backdrop of India celebrating the 75th Independence anniversary in 2022 and the 100th in 2047, the Prime Minister stressed the Governor's role in bringing the administrative machinery closer to the people and showing them the correct path.
( With inputs from IANS )