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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called upon the youth to take ownership of the vision of a 'Viksit Bharat' and emphasized their important role in shaping the country's future.
Speaking at the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi, PM Modi urged young leaders to set ambitious goals and actively contribute to achieving them, while expressing his faith in their intelligence. "Setting and achieving big goals is not just the work of the government machinery alone. Every citizen should contribute to these objectives. Lakhs of people have joined this mission. The ownership of the 'Viksit Bharat' is not just mine but yours too. The Young Leaders Dialogue is a great example of youth-led efforts. My heart is filled with pride that my country's youth is so intelligent," he said. Highlighting the role of young minds in shaping the nation's future, the Prime Minister assured them that their ideas would be integral to building a developed India. "India's youth are not limited by closed AC rooms. Their vision soars higher than the sky. Their ideas will be incorporated into policies and will steer the country towards the vision of 'Viksit Bharat'," he said. PM Modi also highlighted the recent achievements of his government, including India's swift development and administration of the coronavirus vaccine, and achieving the Paris Agreement targets set at COP 21 meeting to control climate change. "Some people claimed that it would take years for India to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. However, we conducted the biggest vaccination programme and everyone was inoculated in record time. Today, the world is witnessing this pace of India. We also made a commitment to green energy at G20, and India became the first country to achieve the Paris Agreement targets nine years before the deadline. Now, India has set a goal of 20 per cent ethanol blending in petroleum by 2030, and we will achieve this ahead of schedule," PM Modi said. PM Modi shared his vision of a developed India, saying that the country would be empowered economically, strategically, socially, and culturally. "The economy will thrive, and ecology will flourish. There will be ample opportunities to earn and learn. There will be the world's largest skilled workforce. However, merely talking about Viksit Bharat will not help us achieve the goal of developing India. When every step of ours will be taken in one direction when the emotion behind our policies will be one, then no force in the world can stop us from being developed," he added. The two-day event, being organized on the occasion of Swami Vivekananda's birth anniversary, also included an exhibition showcasing youth innovations and ideas. PM Modi paid tribute to Swami Vivekananda. "Today, with the energy of the youth power of India, this Bharat Mandapam has also become filled with energy and has become energetic. Today, the whole country is remembering Swami Vivekananda and paying tribute to him," PM Modi said. Reflecting on India's independence struggle, he noted, "The people of India took a pledge to get freedom. What was the strength of the British Empire, what did they not have? But the country stood up, started living the dream of independence, and the people of India showed it by achieving independence." The inaugural session was attended by Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Khadse, Anand Mahindra, Palki Sharma, S Somnath, Pawan Goenka, Amitabh Kant and Ronnie Screwvala. The ceremony opened with the traditional lighting of the lamp, followed by a floral tribute to Swami Vivekananda, whose enduring ideals continue to inspire the nation's youth. PM Modi also released a compilation of essays written by participants on ten themes, covering areas like technology, sustainability, women's empowerment, manufacturing, and agriculture. The Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue aims to break the 25-year-old tradition of holding the National Youth Festival conventionally. It aligns with the Prime Minister's Independence Day call to engage 1 lakh youth in politics without political affiliations and provide them with a national platform to turn their ideas for a Viksit Bharat into reality. (ANI)
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