CHENNAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked students to dream big, think differently and pursue their ideas without fear, saying young people could help find solutions to challenges facing India and the world.
Addressing students at a city school, he urged them to contribute to the goal of building a Viksit Bharat by 2047. His appeal came amid protests by student groups, including in Chennai, demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. However, Modi did not refer to the Delhi protests.
“The world is looking for solution providers. And you have the potential to provide those solutions,” he said, asking students to make the most of the opportunities available to them.
Calling young people the biggest heroes of India’s bright future, he led students in a call-and-response pledge to build a developed and self-reliant India by 2047, make the country one of the world’s top three economies and a global manufacturing hub, host the Olympics and send an Indian to the Moon.
Referring to the expansion of the education sector since the BJP came to power in 2014, Modi said the number of universities had risen from around 750 to more than 1,300, while colleges had increased from around 38,000 to over 52,000.
He also pointed to the growth of IITs, IIMs, IIITs and AIIMS institutions, adding that the National Education Policy was helping improve the quality of education. On sports, Modi said India was preparing to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games.
The PM also asked Tamil students to take their language, literature and cultural traditions to other parts of the country. Building friendships with people from different backgrounds, he said, would strengthen national unity.