india

Updated: Nov 29, 2018 07:58 IST

Former President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday said he was unsatisfied with India’s economic progress since independence as he felt a lot more could have been done.

“Today, our economy… the worth of it is $2.268 trillion. I am not satisfied,” Mukherjee said at an event at Bengaluru’s Greenwood High International School. “As a former finance minister, I feel we should have done more progress. It should have been at least $ 5-6 trillion because China’s state surplus is almost equal to ours.”

Mukherjee said the youth would help India become a global economic power. “Yes, you can do it and you alone can do it,” he said while responding to a student’s question.

“Our days are gone, our juniors’ days are gone. The third generation of Indians has come, who have no baggage, memory of subjugated India, the experience of the slavery of foreign masters.” He said this generation was born and developed in free India.

Mukherjee said leaders should welcome criticism. “Criticism is not always negative, more often it is positive, it points out deficiencies,” he said.

Mukherjee said India’s 5,000-year-old civilisation survived while contemporary civilisations withered away. He added acceptance of others and recognition of opposing views was key to this. Mukherjee asked the youth dreaming about joining politics to keep in mind that its essence is service.

“If you want to enter the legislature to serve the people of your area, state, or if you want to enter Parliament to serve your country to make policies and serve the country, you must have the will to do service.”