india

Updated: Aug 13, 2020 21:57 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday picked the topic of the country’s youth to start his monthly radio programme, Mann Ki Baat, and talked about the role they are going to play in the next decade of the 21st century.

The Prime Minister’s address on youth comes at a time when students of colleges and universities across the country have been protesting against the newly-amended citizenship law.

“In the coming decade, the young in India will play a key role. Today’s youth believes in the system and also has an opinion on a wide range of issues. I consider this to be a great thing…” the Prime Minister said while addressing the 60th edition of his radio programme.

“The youth in India likes to follow the system… They question the system when it does not work and don’t like anarchy as they question the loopholes in the system… What today’s youth dislikes is instability, chaos, nepotism,” he said.

The Prime Minister also quoted Swami Vivekananda. “My faith is in the younger generation, the modern generation, out of them will come my workers. They will work out the whole problem, like lions,” Modi said as he quoted the 19th-century monk.

Modi picked up various ways the youth can contribute to the country’s progress and development and talked about the Bhairavganj Health Centre in Bihar’s West Champaran district.

“At this health centre, thousands of people from neighbouring villages come for free health check-up… This was not a government programme or a government initiative. This was a step taken as part of an alumni meet organised by the former students of the local KR High School. They named it ‘Sankalp 95’,” he said.

He also talked about a skill development and employment programme, which is being run in Jammu and Kashmir.

“The skill development and employment programme Himayat in Jammu and Kashmir help people who couldn’t complete school or college or had to drop out. I am happy to know that in the last two years 18,000 people were trained in 77 skill sets under Himayat,” he said.

“At least 5000 are working somewhere and many have moved to self-employment. Their stories have touched my heart,” he added.

The Prime Minister had talked about the patience, restraint and maturity shown by people after the Supreme Court delivered its verdict in the Ayodhya case in his last Mann Ki Baat programme on November 24.

He had also assured students that he will counsel them about examinations in January through a session. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also urged students, parents and teachers to participate in the ‘Fit India Week’ programme, an initiative taken up by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

Mann Ki Baat is broadcast on the last Sunday of the month.