Friends, let me lay my heart bare to you, this is a very unique function. This gathering is very different and just imagine what an opportunity for a man like me, who has constitutional duties to perform, to interact with promising young minds, who are students of NIT Raipur, IIT Bhilai and IIM Raipur, that too the convergences on a topic that is of great interest to us, a topic that matters to all of us, ideas for building a better Bharat.

Our mind is seized and possessed of the mission to have Viksit Bharat at 2047, when we celebrate centenary of our independence. Viksit Bharat, because of the exponential growth we have seen in last decade, is no longer a dream. It is our object, it is our definite destination. Therefore, to share your thought process, there will be six questions and my ideas. There can be no better opportunity for me to get educated, to get enlightened, to get energised and to get inspired.

You all are blessed, you are in a very distinct category, because you all boys and girls, are getting quality education. You are getting quality education that has global benchmark, and as a group you have the potential to define and navigate developmental journey of the nation, and a nation that is filled with hope and possibility. We are living in times where nothing is beyond attainment, because our recent growth trajectory has shown us path ahead.

My young friends, your contributions and innovations must solve Bharat's core challenges, combining excellence with empathy, technology with tradition. My focus will be what you can do, what we can do, and what we all can do in togetherness to have a Bharat that is developed. You will find all around, youth is restive. Youth is in restlessness and that issue has to be addressed.

Why is youth restive? Because in last 10 years, people have tasted progress. Toilet in the house, internet connectivity in the villages, pipe water, gas connection, affordable housing, world-class infrastructure, an economy rising, and India being recognised as a global power. World Bank and International Monetary Fund are applauding us. Therefore, we have tasted development. Our expectations from governance have turned out to be true and from that perspective, since we have tasted fruits of development, fruits of growth, therefore we are restive, because we want more. Nothing wrong in that but this is a challenge, because when people taste success, they want more success, and they want incremental success.

No country in the world has progressed so exponentially in the last 10 years as Bharat has done. No large economy has registered that high economic growth and this has converted our Bharat into the most aspirational country of the world. This is an challenge and an opportunity for youth to transform into positivity. This positivity into Nation building momentum, each rational mind can pioneer solution, this is within your reach. One one hand we find people are enthused at our mission of having developed Nation, Viksit Bharat at 2047. On the other hand our people are concerned of dysfunctional parliament, political divisiveness and polarization. You are thinking young minds, well aware of these problems.

Bridge these divides through solutions that unite, not divide. Development must be our common ground. We cannot look development from partisan stance. Development in this country is non discriminatory, it is inclusive, it is for all, it for the first time the lives of people in the last row have benefited enormously.

There is a serious cause of concern also which have to be addressed in togetherness. Threats are emerging for our Nationalism in the form of demographic disruptions. Demographic disruption is very serious, organic demographic evolution is soothing, harmonious but if demographic explosion takes place, only to destabilise a democracy, it’s a matter of concern. Then we have orchestration of conversions through allurements. It is everyone's supreme right to decide for oneself, but if that decision is moderated by allurement, by temptation with an object to change the organic demography of the nation, it is a concern which we all must take note of.

We are suffering illegal migration in this country of millions. If we go to count that number, mind-boggling, that illegal migration has to be dealt with but एक नासूर बन गया without even a token of resistance. It is a problem we will have to handle, because it is taking shape of unmanageable dimensions.

No nation can suffer millions of illegal migrants who have potential to upset our electoral mechanism. They find easy supporters when people think in terms of petty politics, we must always put nation first. An illegal migrant in a country has no justification. If it is in millions, look at the impact it has on our economy, they strain our resources, our employment, our health sector, our education sector. A resolution of this monstrous problem of illegal migrants in millions can no longer be a solution. Every passing day will make the resolution complex, we need to address this issue.

Another area of concern is that a fashion has become that every institution or individual will be advising the other institution how to handle its affairs. That is not a scheme of constitutional working. Constitution has a defined role for every institution, those in legislature cannot advise judiciary how to write judgments. That is the role of judiciary. Similarly, no institution can advise day in and day out legislature on how to conduct its affairs.

Constitutional wisdom lies that we respect each other's territory. All are committed to serving the nation at last and therefore, the best way to serve the nation is that every institution, the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary function in their well-defined roles. Young friends, we are a sovereign nation. Our sovereignty resides in the people, the people of this country have given us the constitution. Our sovereignty is inviolable.

Inalienable facet is executive governance that is constitutionally sanctified, reflecting the will of the people. If Shri Vishnu Deo Sai is a chief minister, the evolution has taken place through electoral system, through people's verdict. It is his and his team's job to engage in executive governance because the team is accountable to law, accountable to the people.

The rationale is those who are accountable to the people engage in executive role. Executive role can neither be outsourced nor it can suffer that it is overtaken by some other agency. In exclusivity, executive governance lies only with the government. If executive functions are performed by any other institution, including legislature or judiciary, that is antithetical to constitutionalism, that does not augur well for the country. There is no justifiable premise where executive actions can be overtaken by others.

Our constitution envisions in categorical terms each institution has to play a specific role while respecting others. Let institutions restrain and respect, not institutional interference. Democracy must be defined by restraint and mutual respect.

We need to concretise solutions by political, consensual approach through meaningful dialogues amongst political parties. There will be several political parties, they will have different ideologies, they will have different perceptions about success route but there are some issues on which there has to be unifying fabric, unity, consensual approach like nationalism, development and security.

Our ancient institutions of Shastrartha and Vaad-Vivad demonstrate how profound differences were resolved through structured dialogue where the goal was not victory or defeat, but the goal was to find the truth and collective wisdom. That is what the nation wants. Nations are built on consensus, on commitment of everyone.

Friends, through young minds like you I appeal to those in governance that they must work so that today's political discourse revives our civilisational ethos where consensus emerges from intellectual exchanges, not confrontation. Our political dialogues must rise above partisanship to serve not self-interest, not political interest, to serve national interests.

Let me give you one illustration, UCC, Uniform Civil Code, those of you who are aware of Constitutional provisions, it’s in Directive Principles of State Policy, an obligation has been cast on governance to have law, to have Uniform Civil Code.

One state, Uttarakhand, has done it. How can you object to something which is written in our constitution, which is part of Directive Principles of State Policy. We cannot be influenced day in and day out only with the narrow considerations of voting pattern.

Framers of the Constitution were very wise, very focused. They gave us certain fundamentals, but they indicated that as democracy matures, as we progress, we must also realise for our people certain goals, one of them is Uniform Civil Code. Some, we have achieved, like right to education, and therefore nothing but national welfare should guide our response.

I urge the youth of the country, I urge the youth here, you are very fortunate, you are in distinct platinum category. I urge you to realise the importance of civic action and public service.

Please give primacy to duties rather than claim rights. Pledge to serve and commit to the nation and not the other way around. Resolve to always keep nation first. We all must pledge to revive and nurture our age old unifying spirit Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, that had essence of our civilisation for millennia, 5000 years.

राष्ट्र धर्म से हमको ओत-प्रोत होना पड़ेगा। राष्ट्रीय धर्म सदैव सर्वोप्रिय रहेगा हमारे लिए। And this has to be our sacred duty.

Young friends, boys and girls, I am saying these things because individually each one of you can do these things. Let me take you to what you can do immediately, every individual can be nerve centre of social transformation by practising Panch Prana.

First, Kutumb Prabodhan, family enlightenment. Family is that ecosystem that gives you value based education. It teaches you what our civilizational essence is, it teaches you be kind to your neighbour, be involved with people, respect your teachers, respect your elders.

We must engage in Paryavaran Suchita, environmental awareness and protection. An individual can do it. Maa ke naam ek ped has become Jan Andolan, realise its importance, follow it. If you go into our scriptures, delve deep into them, you will find how environment was nurtured, how importance was given to it.

Swadeshi was a really moving word during our freedom movement, this has been given a new dimension by the Prime Minister “Be Vocal For Local  but what does Swadeshi mean? If you use avoidably imported items, I'll come to it a little later, the consequences of that. Believe in Swadeshi. Samajik Samrasta, social harmony, that's a great unifying force. Every individual can contribute to that, he or she must come forward. Why should there be social disharmony? And Nagrik Kartavya.

I urge all of you, please go through the Fundamental Duties that are in the Constitution. You will find it is so easy to perform them, mere reading will make you aware. Oh, why I have not done it so far! It helps me, it helps my neighbour, it helps my friend, it helps society, it helps country. These are not just principles but these are essential for a nation to become great.

Friends, the whole world is praising us today for our demographic advantage because this country has 50% of the population under the age of 25 and 65% below the age of 35. This creates a large pool with potential for creativity but this group has to function. This has to create a system whereby we contribute. We get skilled, we engage in capacity building and from skilled seekers we graduate to skilled creators.

I would urge all stakeholders, institutions, industries, governments they must come forward with a unified vision to address the critical issue of youth unemployment. It is equally important to broaden awareness among young people. Most of you are not aware, Your opportunity basket is expanding day by day. We are in a limited group, we are in a silo of government jobs.

Surely world organisations, World Bank and IMF have not accoladed Bharat for its growth not for government jobs, but for creativity in other areas. Since you are being imparted education in premium institutions, you can think out of the box. You can innovate and that should be your thought process. You have to go beyond traditional employment premise.

My young friends, we stand at the cusp of revolutionary advancements, our nation is taking lead in quantum computing, hydrogen mission, disruptive technologies, artificial intelligence, blockchain, machine learning and the kind are already with us. There are challenges and also opportunities. It lies for you to avail these opportunities.

I have been advocating economic nationalism for long time, every person present here, every person of this country has capacity to contribute to national economy by practicing economic nationalism. We need not import items that are avoidable, Shirts, trousers, chairs, kites, candles, curtains, what not, Why? Because when we import those items, three things happen.

●      One, our foreign exchange is drained.

●      Two, Our people lose work.

●      Three, Our entrepreneurs can't be engaged, and;

 

Therefore, no fiscal gain, whatever be its quantum, can justify sacrifice of national interest.

I would urge all of you to take pledge. I emphasise Bharat built, this should be our global gold standard. Youth of the country, you are the most vital stakeholders in governance. In this last quarter of this century, of the centenary of our independence, that will fructify in Viksit Bharat in 2047, you are the driving engines. Your thought process will take us to that level. Therefore, you must keep in mind, how can in this country of 1.4 billion, with civilisational ethos of the kind we have, there can be people who challenge public order? People who destroy public property?

In your state also, Vande Bharat was stormed. How can we overlook and countenance such kind of nuisance, such kind of elements? These must be dealt with very severely in exemplary manner. They must be made accountable financially but every young man, boy and girl is entitled to name and shame them. You have the power of social media today. How can we allow a citizen of this country to stone a train? To set fire to a government building or a government vehicle? Or even a private vehicle? How can anyone take law into one's own hands? And how can anyone in political arena give fuel to it? Thinking minds like young people like you have to take care such wanton destruction of public property does us no honour.

Convert public property mindset into our property, feel the pinch as if it is your property that is being destroyed subjected to loot and arson. We must always keep national interest above anything else. Let's build businesses but for the benefit of society.

My young friends, these days because of social media and otherwise, there is avalanche of misinformation, disinformation. You have to be extremely discerning, extremely careful and cautious. Anti-national narratives are required to be neutralised by every individual. Youth of the country is a collective force which is so potent and powerful that it can make and it will make, according to me, this century a century of Bharat. We were Vishwaguru, we will be Vishwaguru. The entire world has that expectation today.

I would not take long because the key to Viksit Bharat, the key to a developed nation is with the youth. Youth of your kind have greater responsibility by having benefited enormously out of quality education. Unlock it and let us rise to the level of Vishwaguru sooner than we think.

Together let us create a transformative Bharat, one that is profound, powerful, progressive and peaceful.

My best wishes to you all.

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JK/RC/SM

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