WEB DESK
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the young India will play the role of a catalyst in the growth and development of the nation. Sharing his thoughts in the 60th episode of Mann Ki Baat programme of All India Radio today, Mr Modi said, coming decade will witness the active contribution of the youth born in the 21st century, in the progress of the nation. He added that a proud nation eagerly awaits this generation to elevate the country to greater heights.
The Prime Minister expressed confidence that the new decade for India will be marked by the development and progress of the youth and also harnessing the collective power of the youth. He said, the generation next will play a major role in modernizing India.
Mr Modi said, the youth today is extremely talented and aspires to dream for something new and different. The Prime Minister said, the youth have opinions of their own and the best part is they appreciate and follow the system.
Lauding the response of the youngsters, the Prime minister said, it is really heartening to note that they question the system to deliver the goods. He said, country’s youth detests anarchy of any sort. Mr Modi said, they despise any element of lack of governance and instability, abhorring any shades of nepotism, casteism, favouritism or gender discrimination.
The Prime Minister said, the new generation is an embodiment, a reflection of a new system, new order, a new age and a new thought.
The Prime Minister said, on the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda on the 12th of next month, which is celebrated as National Youth Day, every youth should give a thought to their responsibilities.
The Prime Minister said the youth have set new benchmarks in community mobilization and inspired others to follow the suit. In this context, striking an emotional chord with the people, Mr Modi recalled how the alumni of 1995 batch of K RHigh School in Bettiah, Bihar organised ‘Sankalp-95’, a public health awareness camp for the local people at Bhairavganj health centre as part of their annual meet to give back to the society.
The Prime Minister spoke about the Himayat Programme in Jammu and Kashmir under which eighteen thousand youths have been trained in seventy seven differenttrades during the last two years.
In this programme, teenagers and youth from 15 to 35 years of age who could notcomplete their studies have been trained as entrepreneurs through vocationaleducation. He cited the example of Parveen Fatima of Kargil who has now becomea supervisor cum coordinator in garment unit in Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu.
The Prime Minister said, it is very important for everyone that the citizens of the country become self-reliant and live with dignity.
The Prime Minister called on people to buy only local products, prioritize them in the shopping, link local products with the status and pride and become a medium to bring prosperity to the fellow countrymen with this spirit.
In this context, he cited example of the women of Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh who learned the skill of making footwear through a Self Help Group and later with the help of Gramin Ajivika Mission established a footwear manufacturing plant.
Mr Modi congratulated the local police and their families, who encouraged these women entrepreneurs by purchasing footwears for themselves and their families made by these women.
Mr Modi mentioned that President Ram Nath Kovind visited Vivekananda Rock Memorial recently and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu visited the Desert Festival held in Rann of Kutch, Gujarat. He said, when the President and Vice President are visiting such important tourist destinations in India, it is bound to inspire the countrymen. He urged people to travel and visit these places.
Prime Minister Modi also called for understanding the ancient knowledge in astronomy as India is quite advanced in the field. He said the country has taken path-breaking initiatives like a giant meter-wave telescope near Pune and powerful telescopes located in Kodaikkananal, Udagamandalam, Guru Shikhar and Hanle Ladakh. Mr Modi recalled that in 2016, the Belgium Prime Minister and he had inaugurated the 3.6 metre Devasthal optical telescope in Nainital, known as Asia’s largest telescope.
The Prime Minister said the Indian Space Research Organization, which has an astronomical satellite ASTROSAT is planning to launch a satellite called Aditya to study the Sun. He said the planetariums in the country, in addition to increasing the understanding of the night sky, also motivate people to develop star gazing as a hobby.