Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has appealed to the youth to come up with new ideas to empower the country in the field of Science & Technology and help the Government in its efforts to make India safer, stronger & self-reliant. He was addressing the 16th convocation of Janardan Rai Nagar Rajasthan Vidyapeeth (Deemed-to-be-University) in Udaipur on April 15, 2023. The Raksha Mantri stressed that the use of technology will increase across all sectors in the coming times and there is a need to achieve excellence in Science & Technology. He called upon the young ignited minds to ideate, innovate, research and make headways in the field to take the county to greater heights.

Rajnath Singh was of the view that the youth possess a unique power to create, nurture & transform and the Government is providing a level-playing field to them to ensure that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘New India’ is soon realised. He listed out a number of steps taken to tap the potential of the young minds, including the National Education Policy 2020, which focuses on holistic education and lays equal emphasis on knowledge and skills. He also spoke on campaigns such as Ayushman Bharat, Fit India movement, which aim to create a healthy, educated and skilled workforce.

The Defence Minister highlighted the steps taken by Ministry of Defence for the youth to contribute to national security. He elaborated on the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative, wherein the Armed Forces, Defence Public Sector Undertakings, Indian Coast Guard and Paramilitary forces seek solutions to their problem statements from the general public.

“There are two ways to resolve a problem statement. One is to issue a tender and get it resolved through a foreign company. The other is to put forth the problem statement before the young, ignited minds, which is 65% of the country’s population. This is the vision behind iDEX. In just five years since its launch, we have received an encouraging response. We have already launched nine Defence India Start-up Challenges. Youths have provided solutions to many problem statements. We not only adopt the ideas of the youth but take it forward by connecting them with investors and providing grants,” Rajnath Singh said.

The Defence Minister also enumerated the initiatives taken to promote entrepreneurial mindset among the youth. He stated that a culture of venture capital funding has been developed for start-ups, which is important for their hand-holding at an early stage. “The number of unicorns in the country has crossed 100 from just four or five eight-nine years. Approx. one lakh start-ups have emerged in the last few years. It is a big proof of the success of start-up-based innovation ecosystem,” he added.

Rajnath Singh pointed out that whether it is economy, science & technology, health or defence, India – the fifth largest economy – has emerged as a strong nation in recent years and is well on course to find itself among the top three economies by 2027. “India is dreaming new dreams & setting new goals on the strength of its youth. We are striving to make India one of the strongest countries and our young, ignited minds will play a pivotal role in realising that vision,” he said.

The Defence Minister also exhorted the students to pay equal attention towards obtaining the knowledge about Indian traditions, values & culture, terming it as an essential aspect of character development. He urged them to gain inspiration from personalities like Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore, who put forth the values before society. These values ​​will make the surging ahead India complete, he said.

Rajnath Singh also underscored the importance of a strong will to achieve any given task, stressing that both successes and failures are part of life, and one should not get swayed away by the ups and downs. Referring to the news reports of suicides by IIT & NEET aspirants in Kota, he called upon the students to remember that no goal or dream is bigger than life. He termed it as the collective failure of society if any child takes such a drastic step. He urged all parents, relatives, teachers and friends to never judge children on the basis of their exam results but assess them on their hard work.

The Defence Minister lauded the Vidyapeeth for contributing in the all-round progress of the nation by implementing various plans in the fields of education, literature, culture and history, besides adopting latest technologies in line with the changing times. He also unveiled the statue of renowned Rajput warrior and King of Mewar Maharana Pratap on the University premises. He stated that the statue in an educational institute will not only encourage future generations to contribute to nation building through education, but also inculcate patriotism and national spirit in their hearts.