The Vice President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar today expressed his disapproval of the parents who are very demanding with their kids and push them to “become civil servants or engineers when the child actually wants to become a musician or photographer.”

Speaking to a group of students from Kerala who called on him at Upa-Rashtrapati Niwas today, the Vice President said that  “Parents want to live their life through their children. That is not good. There is achievement in every walk of life.” These students were winners of the Mann Ki Baat Quiz Competition organized by Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan in Thiruvananthapuram.

Responding to a question from a student, Shri Dhankhar described drug abuse as a menace to the world. Calling drugs a challenge to humanity, he said that it destroys those minds who have the capacity to take the world to a higher level.

Delving into the factors behind drug abuse, the Vice President said it happens because we are drifting away from our core cultural values and family life. He also called for generating an ecosystem where one believes in friendship, believes in community life, in family and respects elders.

Praising the government for taking a tough stance on the drug challenge, Shri Dhankhar appealed to the establishment to “ be tough with those who deal in drugs & never fear to expose those making money on account of drugs.”

Calling for a positive and healthy approach towards victims of drug abuse, he advocated for counselling and de-addiction centers for victims. “Don’t attach a stigma to a person who has taken drugs once or twice,” he said.

Describing corruption as the greatest enemy of common man, the Vice President said it deprives you of equality of opportunity, impedes nations development. Expressing happiness over the firm stand taken by the government on the issue of corruption, Shri Dhankhar highlighted that “power corridors have been fully sanitized of middlemen.”

Mentioning several people-friendly initiatives such as Har Ghar Jal, Swachh Bharat Mission, digital transfers, the Vice President said, “Inclusivity is at its peak today, and it has transformed our economy & society and empowered every citizen.”

Exhorting students to always keep the nation first, he asked them to effectively counter those trying to taint and tarnish the image of our institutions.

Union Minister, Shri V. Muraleedharan was also present at the event.

Following is the text of Vice President’s speech (excerpts) –

Good evening everyone!

Whatever I am today, I was shaped by the human resources of Kerala. My teacher, Ms. Ratna Nair, she is my Guru, I went to her place, my wife and I, we both went to her house and touched her feet. She was my class teacher, my house teacher, enormously talented but very strict and she used to eat on the same dining table where I used to sit, I am greatly indebted to her. Your state has a rich human resource that has made a Global Impact. When it comes to healthcare, education, your benchmarking is very high, your city in particular is an energy junction of great people with a global vision. 

We are in winning times, it is historic, I got into the Parliament for the first time in 1989, some of you may not even be born, and I was Parliamentary Affairs Minister, what we did not dream then, what we could not contemplate then, that is happening now. Look all around, India's rise is unstoppable, and the rise is historic, the kind of achievements we have are mind boggling, the entire world is stunned to know about our growth, our roads, our highways, our trains, our digital connectivity, our digital transactions and if you visit PM's Museum, you will be touched, If you go to the war memorial or the Kartavya Path you will find the statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, if you visit the International Convention Centre, it is the best in the world where the G20 meeting will take place, so India is on the rise, which is also reflected in the economic growth. 

A year back, we became the fifth largest global economy, and in the process we overtook our colonial masters, who ruled us for centuries, they are behind us. It was said that the sun will never set in the UK, but the Sun is now bestowing all its light on Bharat, and today, the UK is behind us. If you go to the IMF, what do they say about India? I have met the chief of the IMF on two occasions, ASEAN conference and in Qatar, where I attended the inaugural ceremony of FIFA, And they said that: India is the brightest star, favourite destination for investment and opportunity. Those who used to advise us for decades, are now seeking over advice. That is the achievement of India. If you look at the development in banking, it is inclusive, everyone now has a bank account. That has transformed our economic society, empowered every human resource. On a global benchmark, we constitute 46% of global digital transactions. In 2022, our transactions in digital transfers were four times the collective transfer of the USA, UK, France and Germany. We have come such a long way, When it comes to internet usage per capita, our average is more than the USA and China combined. In every walk of life, we have justified our civilizational history of thousands of years. COVID pandemic was there, on one hand we were battling with COVID at home, with 1.3 billion people, and on the other we were giving out vaccines to several of the other countries. When foreign dignitaries come to see me, the first thing they do is express satisfaction and say thanks that in the crisis time of the COVID pandemic, India came forward to help them. 

India's voice globally was never heard, at that level, as it is being heard now. If you see our Honorable Prime Minister, in the US Congress Senate, I request all of you to go through his speech, entire political parties of the US recognised and befitting him as the Prime Minister of the largest and the oldest democracy in the world, home to 1/6th of humanity. In our country now, we have different kinds of trains, highways. Could we ever imagine every household could have a toilet? Could we ever imagine every village will have electricity? and interconnectivity of the highest order, it has happened now.There is a scheme now, with great success, Har Ghar Nal, which is just not in statistics, the objective is, there is water.. quality water with stability. I appeal to youngsters particularly, be proud Indians, you can't compromise on this. Take pride in our historical achievements. Keep your Nation always first. Those out of ill motivation or ignorance are trying to taint, or tarnish our image, you think about them and neutralize it, because when Bharat rises as it is rising, it is most comfortable for the global scenario of peace and harmony. 

Let me give you a historical fact, our country has never engaged in any invasion, in any part of history. Invaders have come to us, we have never engaged in expansion. War has never been an option for our country. The PM is firm that a dispute has to be resolved by dialogue. You are lucky to be living in Bharat at a time when the world is looking at us, in 2047, people of my age might not be around, but you are the foot soldiers. You are the Warriors of 2047@Bharat, you will realise your dreams and will ensure that India in 2047, will be at peak, a global leader. Historically we have been global leaders, in the past; when this happens, it will constitute a stabilizing factor for the world at large. I want you to get an idea and feel of the change that has taken place over the years. You will see a different arena, these things were not there earlier, like the PM Museum, the Convention Centre. The new Parliament building is the marvel of the world, built in less than 30 months, and it was complete even in the face of COVID. Look at the change that has taken place, what used to be Rajpath is now Kartavya-path. It is a ground reality. Everything is now on your shoulders, everything has to be delivered by you. I am sure the Honorable Minister will take care of you. 

For the youngsters, after more than three decades, our Bharat has a National Education Policy, evolved after taking inputs from hundreds and thousands of people. I was Governor in the state of West Bengal, I am personally aware of it. Now it is not degree oriented, it is skill oriented. You can simultaneously get two degrees, it helps to fully exploit your potential. I will give you some tips: Never have tension, never have stress, never fear.  If you have one good idea and out of fear you don’t execute that idea, due to fear of failure then the world is deprived of your talent. No one has landed on the moon in the first attempt. Archimedes also when he said eureka, it was not his first attempt. Competitiveness should be in mind, compete with yourself and not others. 

I was the topper of the class throughout. I was always under question about what will happen if I don’t come at number one. I was always worried and I made the obsession that if I don’t come number one the heavens will fall. Remember, historically, the heavens have never fallen. They are not going to fall for you. If they have never fallen for thousands and thousands of years, they are not going to fall for you. I understood too late in my life that if I didn’t have an obsession for coming no. 1, I would have more time to spend with my friend, taking more time for my habit, hobby, inclination and my aptitude.

Parents are very demanding. They are demanding very unreasonably. They want to live their life through us and that is not good. In every walk of life, there will be an achievement. These are the things which you must know as per your aptitude. Secondly, there is no limit to your rise in India now. If you have an idea in your mind, share that idea with your friends and don’t fear failing.

Three things you must not be aware of because you are at that age. I was a minister 34 years ago. I know a situation, we had to sell physical gold outside to sustain our credibility because our foreign reserves were less. Now the situation has changed. We are the fastest growing economy in the world and how come we have done it. Earlier in power  corridors there used to be power brokers, middlemen. Now the power corridors have been fully cleared and totally sanitized of power brokers. Corruption is the greatest enemy of the common man. Corruption deprives you of equality and opportunity. Corruption impedes our development. There is no corruption now in governance as things are improving massively from top to bottom.

As young citizens of this country your contribution is important. There was a time when people used to go abroad, they used to eat bananas but they never threw it out of the window, they maintained discipline, they maintained decorum. But those very citizens when they come back to India they took it as their fundamental right to throw the banana skin on the road. That has changed now when the PM initiated Swach Bharat Abhiyan. We still have to be disciplined on the road. We have created many highways, four lane highways but we don’t maintain discipline. Some people who are wealthy, have more money but they don’t have a right merely because they have more money you will spend more money on petroleum. The utilisation of natural resources has to be optimal. We have to discourage the habit of anyone that I will spend more petrol because I can afford. That is not good. Optimal utilisation of natural resources, we have to insist on that. If we save energy, we save the environment. If we save paper, we save the environment. If we save water, we are doing service to society.

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MS/JK