Opportunities abundant for young Indians today: MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar tells NIT Calicut students

By Vipin Vijayan | First Published Aug 30, 2022, 7:52 PM IST

"Today, thanks to the proactive policies of the present government, the startups have come up in a big way -- none of whom had the backing of a famous father or grandfather. The opportunities are abundant for young Indians. Skilling in general and digital skills, in particular, are proving to be passports to prosperity," MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar said.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has envisioned New India as one that is full of opportunities in which the youth can play a big role in charting the country's development path," Union Minister of State Rajeev Chandrasekhar said while interacting with NIT Calicut students.

He further said that because of initiatives of the Narendra Modi-led government, in a short period of eight years, the Indian economy had undergone a massive transformation.

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Talking to a crowd that was a mix of students and Startups, the minister mentioned the vibrant startup ecosystem in the country. He said there are over 78,000 startups and 110 unicorns in the country. They are not just bringing innovations but are also evolving as significant job creators.

He said colleges and universities should facilitate interfaces with investors regularly for the students in order to provide an enabling environment for the startup ecosystem.

He called upon the students to look at their future not just through the prism of placements but also consider opportunities for innovation and enterprise available to them and listed out the positive measures taken by the government to encourage startups.

Previously, almost 97 per cent of the Indian banking system's net worth was cornered by just nine or ten prominent families, and all the rest were shunted out, he said, quoting an old Credit Suisse report titled 'House of Debt'. He added, "But today, thanks to the proactive policies of the present government, the startups have come up in a big way -- none of whom had the backing of a famous father or grandfather. The opportunities are abundant for young Indians. Skilling in general and digital skills, in particular, are proving to be passports to prosperity."

The minister also exhorted the youth in Kerala to capitalise on this opportunity. He assured them that the government would do everything possible to facilitate ease of doing business culture, including the availability of capital and freedom from bureaucratic silos.

Emphasising on PM Modi's vision of the next decade being India's Techade, Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that the government was trying to bring about a digital revolution, which was not limited to privileged cities but that was strong at the grassroots -- in tier 2 and tier 3 cities like Kozhikode, Kohima and Surat.

He also spoke of the government's initiatives to strengthen the electronics manufacturing and semiconductors sectors. "Since 2014, when the Modi government came to power, the electronics sector has undergone a seismic change. From being in a moribund state, it has now become vibrant. We are now laser-focused on achieving the $300 billion electronic production target by 2026," he said.

"From being a tech consumer, India has emerged as a formidable tech producer and an exporter. With the rollout of 5G, it will soon emerge as a trusted partner for the world," he added.

Chandrasekhar was in Kozhikode on a two-day trip, during which he also visited the National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology (NIELIT) Centre under the Ministry of Electronics and IT to review its progress. He emphasised that NIELIT should act as a skill/talent/capacity enabler for the target of a trillion-dollar digital economy that the government has envisioned.

Later, the minister also met members of the Malabar Chamber of Commerce and the Calicut Management Association.

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