Vice President's Secretariat

Text of Vice-President’s address at the inauguration ceremony of the Digital Tower at RCOEM, Nagpur

Posted On: 15 SEP 2024 6:01PM by PIB Delhi

Namaskar, greetings to all of you. 

It is a great honour, a great privilege, to be part of an important milestone development of this four-decade-old institution, nurtured by people of sublime qualities and deep commitment.

The digital tower at this university, I had the occasion to know full details about it. This digital tower will go a long way in changing the mindset of people, putting them in a different group, and making us fully alive to the technical changes, the technological advancement that is gripping us. 

Friends, today is World Democracy Day, I say World Democracy Day particularly because the theme of World Democracy Day this year is artificial intelligence as a tool for good governance. That is the theme. What a great occasion! with this global theme for democracy!

This digital tower is a physical tower which has everything required for blossoming your talent. The presence of cutting-edge infrastructure speaks volumes of the university's vision for the future that is deeply intertwined with technology, innovation, and pursuit of excellence in education.

Shri Purohitji has dedicated his life to nurturing education. He has done it with firm belief. His legacy is in every brick of this campus. I have no doubt those taking the baton from him will also take his deep sense of morality, propriety, and commitment that education is service, not commerce. It was my great good fortune when I attended a function in Delhi, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. Nine-volume English-Sanskrit dictionary was released.

Trust me, then I came to have a greater opinion and idea about the person who is Banwarilal Purohit. In times where education is being exploited as commerce, in times when education has become business, in times when industrial giants are stepping into it in pursuit of industry, the lifelong journey of Banwarilal Purohitji is a beacon of hope, inspiration, and motivation that our civilisational ethos requires to give back to the society and there can be no greater gift than giving education to the people.

Quality education defines democracy, quality education of the kind you are getting, boys and girls, defines development. This will fast-track our attainment of a fully developed nation by 2047. There was a time when people used to call India a sleeping giant. India is no longer a sleeping giant. It is on the rise, the rise is unstoppable. The rise is continual. The economic upsurge is exponential.

According to global institutions, India is a favourite destination of investment and opportunity. Our deep penetration in digitisation, as indicated by Devendraji, by giving practical examples of how people dealing in small money also use technology, has been acknowledged by the World Bank. 

The World Bank has hailed India as a role model to the rest of the world. How to go digitisation? and why not? In a country like ours, where more than 100 million farmers get direct transfer three times a year, and Devendraji's government also effecting such transfers, which means no leakage, no middlemen, no human interference, full accountability, total transparency. 

Also, this has a great economic advantage. It converts our economy to a formal one. What do our youth need? Our youth are brilliant. They are stakeholders in democracy more than anybody else. They will have to take India to a developed nation in 2047. But they were being held, held back, pulled back by three things. 

One, there was no equality before law. There was a time when people thought we are above law. We had privileged pedigree, some people had extra advantages, now they are within the reach of law. All of you know it, equality before law is the most vital facet of democracy.

प्रजातंत्र में समानता नहीं होगी, एक अधिकार नहीं होगा, तो प्रजातंत्र का कोई अर्थ नहीं है। कोई यह कह दे कि मैं जन्म से, जाति से, या किसी और व्यवस्था से औरों से ऊपर हूं, कानून के शिकंजे से बाहर हूं, कानून मेरा कुछ नहीं कर पाएगा, यह नवयुवकों और नवयुवतियों के लिए बहुत घातक था। But now, equality before law is a ground reality.

Second, corruption was eating into our society. No job was available. No contact was available. No opportunity was available. Without corruption, power corridors were infested with corruption. This was very disheartening for young boys and girls. Now power corridors have been neutralised, sanitised, of these corrupt elements. 

एक तरीके से तो दलालों की जो जमात थी, वह खत्म ही हो गई है, वापस जिंदा नहीं हो सकेगी। That is to the great advantage of our youth. 

The third one, there was a time when India was not a country generating hope and possibility. Now we are living in a time when the entire world thinks the India is a nation of hope and possibility. जल, थल, आकाश और अंतरिक्ष हमारी प्रकृति की गूंज दुनिया मान रही है।

There is an ecosystem in place, boys and girls, now there is an ecosystem in place where every boy and girl  can realise and exploit potential, talent, achieve ambitions and aspirations.

और आज के दिन मैं खास तौर पर कहना चाहूंगा, हम नौकर या तो सिर्फ सरकारी देख रहे हैं, हम बहुत कुछ खो रहे हैं। The opportunity basket is increasing by the day, the opportunity basket is in technology, this digital tower is a gateway to opportunities.

I went to ISRO, ISRO has global recognition, Chandrayaan-3 success is to them आपको जानकर आश्चर्य होगा, ISRO में कोई IIT का नहीं है, कोई IIM का नहीं है, आपकी तरह गए हुए हैं और इतिहास रचित किया है। 

I beseech you, you look into blue economy, oceanography, you look into space economy, you examine technological options and you will know you have much to contribute.

Disruptive technologies, artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, they are challenges and opportunities. They are challenges as long as you don't rise to the occasion. The moment you rise to the occasion, these technologies will be opportunities.

India is one of the few countries in the world that has taken global lead in these technologies. Our quantum computing mission, a huge allocation of 6,000 crores, will be a game changer in the computing world. Green hydrogen mission by 2030, already allocation of 19,000 crores, will create 8 lakh jobs with 8 lakh crore investments.

यह ऐसी चीज हैं जिसकी वजह IMF और World Bank कहते हैं भारत is favourite destination of investment and opportunities सरकारी नौकरी की वजह से नहीं कह रहे हैं इसलिए कह रहे हैं and we have enough to contribute in that area.

Boys and girls, we have to live with artificial intelligence and disruptive technologies, but we have to keep them in chains. We have to keep them regulated, we have to keep them to our advantage and I have no doubt with your application of mind and the facility which has been inaugurated today will give you cutting edge and will take you a long way.

एक  ग्रीक फिलॉस्फर हुआ करते थे, हेराक्लीटस, सुकरात से पहले के थे। उन्होंने एक महत्वपूर्ण बात कही, उन्होंने कहा, 'The only constant in life is change.' आपने नहीं देखा होगा, हमने देखा है। इसलिए देखा है क्योंकि हमारी उम्र ज्यादा है। एक जमाना था, टेलीफोन कनेक्शन मिलना बहुत मुश्किल था। आज के दिन क्या कोई लेता है टेलीफोन कनेक्शन को?  फिर क्रांति आ गई टेलीफोन बूथ की, टेलीफोन बूथ पर जाओ कहीं पर भी बात कर लेंगे। आज के दिन क्या कोई जाता है टेलीफोन बूथ पर? खत्म हो गया। एक नया एरिया डेवलप हुआ डिजिटल लाइब्रेरी का। हर शहर में डिजिटल लाइब्रेरी आ गई। घर में VCR है, CD है, कहां गए? टेक्नोलॉजी ने सब कुछ बदल दिया।

हमारे वेदों में लिखा हुआ है, और यह बात सही है, 'The only constant in life is change, and the changes must.' एक व्यक्ति दो बार एक नदी में नहीं जा सकता क्योंकि नदी भी बदलती रहती है, और आदमी भी बदलता रहता है। We have to be part of this change. 

I appeal to young minds: be the change you want, control the change you need, be the drivers of the engines that control change that will put our nation at the pinnacle, it will happen. For that you will have to believe in Vivekananda ji, क्या कहा था विवेकानंद जी ने ? The man who shook the world by Chicago address. He says “Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is achieved.” 

और अब तो हमारे वाले हालात नहीं है, हम पढ़ाई करते थे बिजली नहीं थी, सड़क नहीं थी, स्कूल नहीं था, टॉयलेट नहीं थी कुछ नहीं था।

You are now lucky and fortunate to be getting education in this great institution. Sky is not limit for you you can go beyond a sky into the space. If an idea occurs to you, don't fear failure. Don't fear fear. Fear is the worst enemy of creativity.

कौन है जो असफल नहीं हुआ? चंद्रयान-3 की सफलता के पीछे चंद्रयान-2 की असफलता। चंद्रयान-2 बहुत हद तक सफल था। चाँद के नजदीक पहुँच गया था। कुछ मीटर बचे थे, जो चंद्रयान-3 ने पूरी कर दी।  Taken together, they are a combination of success, Never fear failure.

आज के दिन भारत बदल चुका है, दुनिया में भारत की पहचान बदल चुकी है, हमारी इकोनॉमी को देखकर लोग हदप्रद है बड़ी-बड़ी इकोनॉमी एक परसेंट दो परसेंट तीन परसेंट पर है हम 6%, 7%, 8% पर जा रहे हैं।

With this speed, as indicated by Devendra ji, in the next 2-3 years, we will be the third largest global economy.

Boys and girls, you will be surprised, when I was a Member of Parliament in 1989, the size of the economy of Bharat, home to one-sixth of humanity, was smaller than the size of the economy of London and Paris. हम कहां से कहां आ गए लंदन की बात छोड़िए पेरिस की बात  छोड़िए कनाडा को पीछे छोड़ दिया, ब्राजील को छोड़ दिया, यूके को छोड़ दिया, फ्रांस को छोड़ दिया, जापान और जर्मनी की बारी अभी आ रही है। And we will be the third largest, thanks to the contribution of all of you.

आज का भारत किसी का मोहताज नहीं है आज के भारत के नेतृत्व की गन दुनिया के हर कोने में है भारत क्या सोचता है दुनिया भारत की तरफ देखती है भारत ने दो बड़े सिद्धांत हाल के तीन-चार वर्षो में दिए हैं आखिर दुनिया उस की ओर आ रही है जो बड़े-बड़े संकट है दुनिया में पहला

First, our Bharat has never bled in expansion. हमने कभी दूसरे देश पर कब्जा नहीं किया, अपने देश की सीमा से बाहर नहीं गए, हमने बर्दाश्त किया है। ऐसी स्थिति में कोई भी भी विवाद दुनिया में हो उसका निपटारा प्रधानमंत्री जी ने कहा डायलॉग और डिप्लोमेसी। 

मैं आपको छोटा सा उदाहरण दे रहा हूं एक जमाना था 60 के दशक में साइकिल पर हमारे रॉकेट के पार्ट्स आते थे और दूसरे देश से लॉन्च होते थे आज हम अमेरिका की सैटेलाइट लॉन्च करें सिंगापुर की कर रहे हैं यूके की कर रहे हैं। Because we are good value for money. We are earning thereby.

There is a lot of tendency to flock to the coaching centers. They have become silos. सरकारी नौकरी के लिए होड़ लगी हुई है ताबड़तोड़ होड़ लगी हुई है एडवर्टाइजमेंट की भरमार है थोड़ा सा ध्यान हटाइए और आपको पता लगेगा आपकी प्रतिभा को चमकाने के लिए कितने अवसर और मिल रहे हैं।

I am greatly impressed and motivated, the technological advancement here needs cutting-edge. As I am President of the Indian Council of World Affairs, the Indian Council of World Affairs, in 3 months, will have an MoU with your University so that global leaders come and interact with you in the capacity, potential, and talent of our young boys and girls. हम उनको सही दिशा दे पाए, India's rise will be unstoppable. It will not be incremental; it will be vertical, और यह होकर रहेगा।

World Democracy Day, Artificial Intelligence पर दुनिया का ध्यान आकर्षित करना और अपनी जमीनी हकीकत करके दिखा दिया। यह divine intervention है; this place will prosper because divinity is there.

Once again, I am grateful for your time. And this, boys and girls, is the beginning of the relationship. We will nurture it when you come to Delhi.

Thank you so much.

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JK/RC/SM


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