On Dec 11, the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi via video conferencing, launched ‘Viksit Bharat @2047: Voice of Youth’, a platform to the youth of the country to contribute ideas to the vision of making India a developed nation by 2047, the 100th year of independence, during a specially curated nationwide workshop at all Raj Bhawan (seats of Governors of states & UTS) for vice chancellors of universities, heads of institutes and faculty members.
Noting that the rapidly increasing population of the country is empowered by youth, Prime Minister Modi informed that India is going to be the leader in terms of the working-age population for the coming 25-30 years and the world recognizes this. “Youth power is both the agent of change and also the beneficiaries of change”, he said. He emphasized that the next 25 years are going to be decisive for the careers of the youth in colleges and universities of today. Noting that it is the youth who are going to create new families and a new society in the future, the Prime Minister said that it is they who have the right to decide how a developed India should be. With this spirit, the Prime Minister added, the government wants to connect every youth of the country with the action plan of a developed India. The Prime Minister stressed moulding the voice of the country’s youth into the policy strategy for building a developed India and highlighted the role of educational institutions that maintain maximum Drawing the analogy of the period of development of ‘Viksit Bharat’ to that of an examination, mentioned the confidence, preparation and dedication of the students as well as the contributions of the families in maintaining the required discipline to accomplish the goal. He remarked that the exam date has also been declared for us as citizens of the country. “We have 25 years of Amrit Kaal in front of us. We have to work 24 hours a day for the goal of Viksit Bharat. This is the environment we have to create as a family”, the Prime Minister emphasized. “This Amrit Kaal is ongoing” and “this is the period in the history of India when the country is going to take a quantum leap”. He gave examples of many nearby countries that took such a quantum jump in a set timeframe and turned into developed nations. “For India, this is the time, right time (Yahi Samay hai, Sahi Samay hai)”, he said, adding that each and every moment of this Amrit Kaal should be utilized.
Prime Minister Modi highlighted the role of educational institutions in the personality development of an individual and said that a nation becomes developed only with the development of its people. For India, The Prime Minister reiterated the glorious struggle for freedom as a source of motivation. He said each endeavour such as Satyagrah, revolutionary path, non-cooperation, swadeshi, and social and educational reforms during that time were geared towards freedom.
This period saw Universities like Kashi, Lucknow, Vishwa Bharti, Gujarat Vidyapeeth, Nagpur University, Annamalai, Andhra and the University of Kerala strengthen the consciousness of the nation. An entire generation of youth dedicated to the freedom of the nation came into being whose every effort was directed toward the goal of Independence. “Today, every institution and every individual should move with a resolution that every effort and act will be for Viksit Bharat. The aim of your goals, your resolutions should be only one – Developed India”. The Prime Minister emphasized that teachers and universities ponder about finding ways to make India a developed country at a faster pace and also identify specific sectors for improvement towards becoming a developed nation.
Prime Minister Modi underlined the need to channel the energy of the students and the youth of every university towards achieving the common goal of ‘Viksit Bharat’. Noting the diversity of ideas, the Prime Minister stressed linking all the streams towards building a developed India. Shri Modi urged everyone to go beyond their limits to contribute to the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047. He suggested running special campaigns in every college and university in the country to connect more and more youth with this campaign.
The Prime Minister mentioned the launch of the Ideas Portal related to Viksit Bharat and informed that suggestions can be given on 5 different themes. “A prize has also been arranged for the best 10 suggestions. You can also give your suggestions on MyGov”, he added. “Idea starts with an ‘I’ just like India begins with an ‘I’”, the Prime Minister remarked as he underlined that the idea of development can only begin with the ‘I’ of the self.
Elaborating on the exercise of seeking suggestions, the Prime Minister emphasized the need to create an Amrit generation which keeps the national interest paramount. He stressed the need to go beyond education and skills and called for alertness for the national interest and civic sense among the citizens. “When citizens, in whatever role, start doing their duty, the country moves forward”, the Prime Minister said. He gave examples of the preservation of natural resources through water conservation, saving electricity, using fewer chemicals in farming and using public transport. He asked the educationist fraternity to suggest ways of giving new energy to Swachhta Abhiyan, combating lifestyle issues and exploration of the world beyond mobile phones by the youth. He asked them to be role models for the students. He said that social thinking is reflected in the governance too and asked the gathering to see that degree holders should have at least one vocational skill. “You should carry forward a comprehensive process of brainstorming on these topics at every cap, every institution and at the state level”, he added.
Union Minister for Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Dharmendra Pradhan described the launch of the initiative as a red-letter day towards inspiring action for achieving the goals of Viksit Bharat and added that the launch of the programme has given a new vision and direction. He said that universities, colleges and educational institutions will add new momentum to this initiative. “Guided by the mantra of Sabka Prayas, an environment must be created that inspires the Amrit Peedhi and citizens towards the accomplishment of the goal of developed India,” he said.
