‘World looks at India with hope’

New Delhi Jan 12 (FN Agency) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the world looks at India with hope and faith because India’s demography is young and India’s mind is also young. Inaugurating the 25th National Youth Festival in Puducherry virtually, to mark the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, Modi said the Indian youth have democratic values. “India considers its youth as a demographic dividend as well as a development driver,” he said. The Prime Minister stressed that if the Indian youth has a charm for technology, there is also the consciousness of democracy. “Today, if the youth of India has the ability for hard work, then there is also clarity about the future. That is why what India says today, the world considers it to be the voice of tomorrow.” The Prime Minister said India’s youths were writing the code of global prosperity.

“The Indian youth is a force to be reckoned with in the unicorn ecosystem all over the world. India today has a strong ecosystem of over 50,000 start-ups.” He also called upon the youth to be vocal and contribute in the drive for cleanliness. The Prime Minister said the government believes that sons and daughters are equal. “With this thinking, the government has decided to raise the age of marriage to 21 years for the betterment of daughters. Daughters can also make their career, they get more time, this is a very important step in this direction,” he said. At the event, Modi unveiled essays on “Mere Sapno ka Bharat” and “Unsung Heroes of Indian Freedom Movement”. He also inaugurated a Technology Centre of the MSME Ministry established at Puducherry with an investment of about Rs 122 crore besides an auditorium with an open-air theatre. Several Union Ministers and Puducherry Chief Minister N. Rangaswamy were present on the occasion.