Young innovators need to show bigger risk-taking appetite: PM Modi

NEW DELHI,  (IANS): Hitting out at the policy paralysis of the previous governments, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday hailed the Gen Z’s commitment to develop India through creativity and urged young innovators to show a bigger risk-taking appetite.

Addressing participants of Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue, he said, “Young innovators should move ahead with the mindset of taking bigger risks. The government is with you, and you may not need to take a backward step.”

Speaking at the final session of the Dialogue, PM Modi cited reforms like the New Education Policy 2020, which has turned out to be the cornerstone for overcoming the Lord Macaulay-created education policy that propagated colonial mentality.

Highlighting the importance of Swadeshi, he said the youth should pledge to take the country out of the Macaulay education policy’s mentality and highlighted schemes like PM Setu under which ITIs are being upgraded for promoting skill and enterprise.

He said there are still 10 years for the 200th anniversary of Macaulay’s education policy, and I am confident that during this period, our young generation will take the country completely out of the colonial mindset.

He reminded the youth about the poor state of affairs in the pre-2014 era, when there were just 500 start-ups in the country, but today the number has over 1.5 lakh startups.

Sharing details of tax and policy simplification and nurturing of the startup ecosystem and the space sector, PM Modi said today that over 300 startups are active in the space sector.

He said the topics like women-led development and Youth participation in democracy taken up for discussion by the young minds at the event give him confidence in their capability to drive national development in the coming decades.

“With innovative ideas, energy and purpose, Yuva Shakti is at the forefront of nation-building,” he said.

The Prime Minister also highlighted his government's decision to free the drone sector of curbs on flying and make drones.

“Our simplification of the drone policy has ensured that our Make in India drones are defeating enemies on the battlefield and drone Didis are flourishing in the agriculture sector,” he said.

With 1,000 defence startups, Digital India has bred a new generation of innovators, he said.

He called upon innovators to weave Indian mythological tales and figures like Lord Hanuman into the gaming sector. “Our Lord Hanuman can run the entire gaming sector single-handedly,” he said.

“Our culture will also get popularised if we manage to weave mythological figures in gaming,” he said.

Urging innovators to move ahead with confidence, he asked the youth to develop a think wave that encourages dialogue for development at the state and district level.