NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday emphasised that India’s journey to becoming a developed nation will be driven by its young population’s potential. Marking Swami Vivekanada’s birth anniversary, also observed as National Youth day, the PM was speaking at the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2025 in New Delhi’s Bharat Mandapam.
PM Modi acknowledged that while some view this goal as challenging, it remains achievable, adding that he has faith in the youth of today. “Swami Vivekananda had a lot of faith in the youth of the country. Swami ji used to say that I have faith in the young generation, in the new generation. Swami ji used to say that my workers will come from the young generation and they will find solution to every problem. Just like Vivekananda ji had faith in you, I have faith in Vivekananda ji, I have faith in everything he said,” said PM Modi.
“I have faith that India’s Yuva Shakti will make India a developed nation… People who calculate data may think that it is impossible I know that it is a huge target but not impossible,” he added.
Further highlighting the significance of the country’s demographic advantage, PM said, “When our decisions are guided by the same principles, when the direction of every step is aligned and when the spirit of our policy is united that is ‘Viksit Bharat’ then, no power in the world can stop us from becoming a developed India.”
“Big targets have to be set for a country to march forward… This is what today’s India is doing,” also stated PM Modi in his address to the youth, noting that the nation is reaching numerous milestones across sectors ahead of schedule.
The prime minister emphasised that governmental efforts alone are insufficient for national progress. He directly addressed the assembled youth and said, “Setting and achieving big goals is not just the work of any one government machinery, it is a must that every citizen of the country joins it. Lakhs of people have joined it. The ownership of the ‘Viksit Bharat’ is not just mine but yours too.”
He assured that their ideas would influence national policies and provide direction to the country’s development and stressed that reaching ambitious targets requires active involvement from every citizen.
Describing the period until 2047 as India’s golden period (Amrit Kaal), Modi expressed confidence in the youth’s ability to achieve the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat’. “We have a golden period of 25 years ahead of us, it is Amritkaal (the golden age) and I am fully confident that the youth power of India will definitely make the dream of a ‘developed India’ come true,” he said.
He also talked about India’s aspiration to host the Olympics within the next decade, noting that nation was doing all it can to avail the opportunity.
PM Modi, in his address, also talked about India’s standing at global platform. “Some people claimed that it’d take years to administer a Corona vaccine in India. However, we ran the biggest vaccination programme, and everyone was inoculated in record time. Today, the world is witnessing this pace of India. We made a commitment at G20 about green energy. India became the first country in the world which completed the Paris Commitment. It was done nine years before the set time. Now, India has set a target of mixing 20% ethanol in petrol by 2030. This target will also be fulfilled before 2030,” he said.
Additionally, highlighting economic growth’s importance, PM Modi noted how India’s capabilities and budgetary allocations have expanded with economic progress. “We are rapidly moving towards being a $5 trillion economy. Just imagine the scale of development and the expansion of amenities when we reach $5 trillion.”
The PM asserted that as India’s economy progresses towards becoming the world’s third-largest, it is projected to exceed USD 10 trillion in the next decade.