Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday called upon the youth of the country to ideate, innovate and indigenise new technologies in order to achieve ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was addressing the students of Dr DY Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune during their 13th Convocation Ceremony.
Singh described the youth as the biggest strength, catalyst and source of change for any country. “The youth have the ability to face any challenge and convert it into an opportunity. They have the potential to discover new technologies and set up new companies & research establishments,” he said.
He reiterated the government’s resolve of domestic procurement of defence equipment to achieve ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, saying that India should not depend on other countries for its needs. He said, the government has faith in the youth and is striving to provide them with ample opportunities to ensure their progress as well as the holistic development of the nation. Referring to PM Modi’s appeal of ‘Vocal for Local’, he stated that it will increase the employment opportunities for the young ignited minds of the country.
Singh stated that a vibrant start-up ecosystem has been created in the country due to the government’s efforts, which can provide support to bio-technology, business administration and health professionals to realise their innovative dreams. “Start-up India scheme is proving to be very effective for the young minds. We have also developed a culture of venture capital funding for start-ups, which is important for their hand-holding at the early stage. The number of business unicorns in the country has crossed 100. This is a proof of the success of our start-up based innovation ecosystem,” he said.
Singh assured government’s full support to the youth to bring to fruition their out-of-the-box ideas. He suggested medical and bio-technology students to share their ideas with fellow business students who can make a plan to set-up business based on those ideas. This will build a strong future partnership which will be beneficial for the country, he said.
