Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said, Indian Youth today is no longer a prisoner of aspiration because a host of new openings available now beckon him with opportunities of livelihood as per his inherent aptitude.

A lot of this has been possible because of groundbreaking reforms brought by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, including StartUp policy, National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Space sector and Drone deregulations, new geospatial policy, National Research Foundation etc, he said.

Addressing the KAMP Pratibha Utsav-2023 in New Delhi, Dr Jitendra Singh said, this is the Best Times happening in India and the successful launch of Chandrayaan-3 has sparked global aspirations in Indian students. He said, Chandrayaan-3 was followed by Aditya L1, the first space based Indian mission to study the Sun and a couple of days from now India will be hosting the historic G20 Summit Meet in Delhi and the credit for all these goes to our visionary Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

Dr Jitendra Singh said PM Modi also brought in the new National Education Policy (NEP-2020) which supplements Start-Up ecosystem with the promise to open new career and entrepreneurship opportunities for students and youth in India.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, the provision of multiple entry/exit option is something to be cherished as this academic flexibility will have a positive impact on the students related to the availing of different career opportunities at different times, depending upon their intrinsic learning and inherent aptitude. The Minister also said that this entry/exit option can be opted in future for the teachers as well, giving them career flexibility and upgradation opportunities as is done in some western countries and the USA.

Saying that one of the objectives of NEP-202 is de-linking degree from education, Dr.Jitendra Singh said that linking degrees with education has taken a heavy toll on our education system and society as well. One of the fall-outs has been an increasing number of educated unemployed.

Referring to 9 years of Modi rule, Dr Jitendra Singh pointed out that apart from formal jobs, lakhs of opportunities and avenues were created outside the government sector for the youth of the country, be it Start-ups, Mudra Scheme, PM SVANidhi.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, this is all the more evident that after the opening up of the Space sector by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in June 2020, the number of Space Startups sky-rocketed from merely 04 to 150 Startups and most of them being led by science students, researchers and entrepreneurs.

Dr Jitendra Singh said that there were just around 350 Startups before 2014, but after PM Modi gave the clarion call from the ramparts of the Red Fort in his Independence Day address and rolled out special Startup scheme in 2016, there has been a quantum jump with over 1.25 lakh Startups now and more than 110 Unicorns. Similarly, he added that in the Biotech sector, from 50 odd Startups in 2014, we now have 6,000 Biotech Startups.

Dr. Jitendra Singh felicitated the young achievers and said that he always believed in catching the talent young and advised the KAMP to focus on students from class V to class X to get the desired results. He complimented the organisers for designing the course in a more scientific fashion with 8 fundamental issues ranging from Aptitude to Mathematics to Mechanical Engineering. He also underlined the right kind of Mentorship for students.

In the welcome address, Dr. Ranjana Aggarwal, Director, CSIR-NIScPR said, "One Week One Lab" campaign is a unique platform that enables each CSIR laboratory to unveil its legacy, technological breakthroughs, and success stories to a diverse array of stakeholders in our society.” She added that  one week one lab campaign is the brainchild of the Minister of S&T Dr. Jitendra Singh. His support and vision have been instrumental in making this campaign a reality.”

The One Week One Lab programme of CSIR-NIScPR will run from 11th September to 16th September 2023, during which CSIR-NIScPR will open its doors to the public and invite them to visit its departments and witness its academic and research initiatives. The programme will also include popular lectures, demonstrations, workshops, puppet shows, quizzes, competitions, and exhibitions on various topics related to science communication and S&T based policy research. It allows each of the 37 CSIR laboratories, spread across the country, to showcase their work and achievements.

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NSC/PK