The grand conference room in South Block was filled with the low noise of conversation as bureaucrats, ministers, and advisors settled into their seats.
Prime Minister Rohan walked in, his presence commanding immediate silence.
He had called this meeting to finalize one of his most ambitious reforms yet: the phased reorganization of India's fractured education boards.
His vision was clear, to eventually make the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) the sole standard for schools across the country.
But he knew this could not be done overnight.
The method he had chosen was strategic: introduce minimum standards, gradually absorb underperforming boards into CBSE, and let others fade into irrelevance over time.