Take lead in nation-building, Jaishankar urgrs youth

Bhubaneswar: The18th Pravsi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) convention commenced at Bhubaneswar on Wednesday with the inauguration of Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.

Speaking on the occasion, Jaishankar said it was customary to hold a conclave of the younger generation of the Indian diaspora as a part of the PBD celebrations to recognise the special contributions that young minds make, at home and abroad.

“At home, we have just started our journey towards Viksit Bharat in Amrit Kaal. This is an endeavour that is very much about the future generation,” said Jaishankar. He urged the youth to step forward and take the lead in shaping the nation’s future.

He said a large part of the efforts of the Government of India is to give the right motivation to the younger generation to accelerate their efforts.Referring to the statement of famous badminton star, PV Sindhu, Jaishankar said,“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a youth icon who moved our nation from ‘chalta hai’ to ‘badal sakta hai’ to ‘hoga kaise nahin?’.”

He urged the delegates to promote India as a preferred tourism destination abroad.

“Let me take the opportunity to urge you on behalf of Prime Minister Modi to promote India as a tourism destination. If young Indian PIOs bring their equally young friends from abroad to explore our uniquely rich and diverse heritage and culture, this will surely become a lifelong habit,” said Jaishankar.

The minister expressed satisfaction over the growing popularity of the Know India Programme and Bharat Ko Janiye Quiz among the diaspora.

Jaishankar said, “This State offers a tremendous opportunity to experience personally much of what we would be discussing in the course of the PBD.

Its cultural festivals and religious and archaeological sites are a reminder of why we in India consider ourselves to be a civilisational society.”