Let me bare my heart. I have solicited this invitation because I wanted to be at the best institute faculty and students located in Delhi. When I went to IIT Madras, IIT Guwahati it was said to me that you must have been to IIT Delhi, now I have overcome that.
It is an absolute delight and privilege to be amongst you all. In a country of 1.4 billion, you have such a gathering of brilliant minds, you have got into this place by taking one of the toughest examinations on the planet, and it is indeed a delightful moment for me.
IIT makes a difference in your life and it sure will. In turn you are bound to make an impactful, affirmative, meaningful difference in the lives of people and humanity. IIT alumni have done that very commendably. It is known to the world and the world has recognised it.
This institution with a rich legacy of Excellence has been a beacon of light in India’s educational landscape for over six decades. It has produced some of the brightest minds that have gone on to shape the destiny of not just this country but of the world. Friends, you are part of an imminent institution of the world and we do not need any calibration or certification from outside. This Institute is one of the best in the world.
You are fortunate beneficiaries of education at such an institution. I say so because I am a product of education. I studied in a village school, and had to travel a few kilometres for classes to another village. I was lucky to get a scholarship and get admitted to Sainik School, where quality education was made available. I know out of personal experience that a turn-around in your life takes place only when you get quality education.
When as Vice President, I went to my alma-mater at Sainik School, Chittorgarh, emotively I reflected, biologically I was born in village Kithana, but my real birth took place in Sainik School Chittorgarh and yours will be taking place in this institute.
IIT’s today are the most acknowledged brands across countries. In my interaction with foreign leaders, I was overwhelmed when very passionately one of them wanted an IIT Campus in his country, which speaks volumes of the reputation the institution has. IIT Madras has embarked on this journey already, MoU has been signed with Tanzania, to set up a campus in Zanzibar. I am given to understand by your Director that you are on the way to having one such campus in the Middle East.
Knowledge and education are the most impactful transformational mechanisms to bring about much needed societal change. Inequities and equality are best assured when there is quality education. Fortunately in the last few years there has been a serious effort and focus on education by evolving a National Education Policy after more than three decades.
IITs has played a pivotal role in India’s development story from generating new knowledge by engagement in cutting-edge research, and there are ample instances of it. They have changed the way our country is, the research in these institutions; promoting academic growth and developing human potential to its fullest extent. IIT’s have been crucible in which the minds have been transformed India and the world were forged, the number is endless. From Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Alphabet, to N. R. Narayana Murthy, the co-founder of Infosys, the leaders of major organizations in India and across the globe proudly wear the badge of IIT as their alma-mater. Their journeys begin here like your Journey begins.
You have the potential, capability and guidance to reach heights; I have no doubt you shall reach those heights. IIT’s have changed the life of many, but those many whose lives were changed by IIT’s have catalysed a change in millions, and that is giving back to the society in a true sense.
It is indeed admirable that the reach and impact of IITs has been extended to the length and breadth of India this is because the admissions in IIT’s are accorded in pure merit. I am totally opposed, pained and anguished that the narrative being floated that IIT’s are catering to those, who are in the upper class, is not the case. You all are here, as testimony to this, each one of you here is on merit and merit alone.
It is soothing to note that networks of this kind are getting expanded all over the country, democratizing access to world class education but there is an added dimension to it. When you make available such a kind of education, you allow people to unleash their potential work according to their talent and realise their aspirations and dreams.
The contribution of IIT’s was available to this country when the world faced Covid pandemic. Your IIT is single out for that. Rising to the challenge of containing the virus, I am told that IIT Delhi initiated important research and development projects. The thrust of your Director to engage into these activities was seen by me briefly when I interacted with him. I can tell you I have told the faculty and the director that I will act as a foot soldier and student of this IIT to generate any interaction which I am capable of, the ones they have suggested, those interactions are in my domain they will fructify in a time bound manner.
While I take pride in extolling your past and existing achievements, I avail the opportunity to inspire you for taking on the challenges that lie ahead and make the most of the opportunities. You, the young minds of India, are the vanguards of a resurgent Bharat!
You are lucky to be living in a time when on account of affirmative policies of the government and the ecosystem you can enhance your skills and contribute to the maximum.
Friends, as we approach 2047, a year that marks a century of our independence, some of us may not be around, you all shall be around, you are the torchbearers who will lead us into a future that is defined by innovation and enterprise. The achievements of young minds in this country have been nothing short of extraordinary. From revolutionizing the agriculture sector, to creating the third largest startup ecosystem in the world, your contributions span across every sector of the economy.
You have harnessed emerging technologies to create cutting-edge products that are changing the way we live, work, and relate to each other. Our Bharat has great expectations from you, you are the greatest spinal strength of this country, what this country will be in future in coming years, and you will shape that.
You are living in an era where Bharat’s influence is felt beyond its borders. I have experienced it during my three visits abroad, interaction with Global leaders, India is looked at very differently. India defines its own policies and its own interest, and the world takes note of what India does, how India will do and what India’s standing is.
We have witnessed the unstoppable rise of Bharat, and this rise is on an incremental trajectory and bound to be so because when you take a leap in the larger world, you will be propelling it. It has marked its presence on the global stage and is a force to reckon with.
Be it the United Nations, WTO or the recent G20 from every global conference to conflicts across the globe, India’s stand matters. Look at what happened in G20 all over the country, about 60 locations, 200 meetings and we came out with the Delhi Declaration that shows the strength of this country that how collaboration and consensual approach can result in global harmony. The world came to see in G20 what it has never seen before. The world now feels that the century belongs to Bharat.
India is being looked upon as a problem solver for the challenges of our time. Imagine the strength of our diplomacy, we have taken a stand that suits our country the best. The stand that we have taken with respect to war by diplomacy dialogue resolution is in consonance with our civilizational ethos. Bharat has become agenda setters on global issues today.
We have the headquarters of the International Solar Alliance, we gave to the world Yoga and 2023 was declared from the United Nations as the International Year of Millets. These are historic milestones, epochal achievements which India has achieved through intervention of global bodies, and the entire world fell in line. Our Bharat has come a long way, when I was elected to the Member of Parliament in 1989, and was a Union Minister, our economy was in shambles, and physical gold had to be airlifted to two banks to save our financial credibility. A decade ago, India was counted as one of the fragile five, in those five countries that were a burden to the economies of the world, India was a part of it. In September 2022, India became the world’s fifth largest global economy, in the process overtaking the UK and France. All indications are there by turn of the decade-by 2030 we are poised to be the third largest global economy overtaking Japan and Germany.
This is because our human resource is very skilled. One thing which I say, there was a time when power corridors were invested with liaison agent’s, middleman and corruption was the norm. You all know that power corridors have been sanitized, power brokers who used to leverage decision making are not to be seen and this is reflected in our actual accomplishments. Corruption in democracy is the greatest enemy of the common man. Corruption is extremely hurtful to the common man and there is now zero accommodation for corruption. You may be anybody you may have any lineage you have to be accountable before rule of law and that is the most quintessential requirement of democracy, how can there be democracy where you will be treated differently and somebody else will be treated differently that can’t happen and now that is not happening.
Worrisomely, friends there are several forces peddling false narratives to taint and tarnish the image of Bharat and its institutions. They also have been trying as I have been told a while ago the reputation of the IITs all on misconception. Now IITs, I know for sure, people from the village come, people from humble backgrounds come, people who have made it with great difficulty, people who may not come from the upper strata of the society, some may be coming on merit but a different impression is sold to the outside world. You are the real proof of it and therefore it is bounding duty of all of us, particularly students like you, to decimate and neutralize such kinds of narratives which are pernicious and do not reflect the ground reality.
For some strange reason which I can’t rationalise, growth is in digestible to some. Some people can go to the extent and say that Pakistan has a better Hunger Index than India. Imagine how far they can go. They have some problems which Institutions like IIT must solve to find out why the digestive system is so repulsive to the growth of this country, something has to be done.
All students before me, you are the foot soldiers, you are the Warriors of Bharat at 2047. You will be shaping Bharat destiny by the time you reach 2047. It is your responsibility to neutralize all anti Bharat narratives and that is required to be done in a vigilant manner.
My appeal to alumni being at the helm of technology and managerial affairs in leading organisations, it is your responsibility to make sure that nobody can have authority to maline and disdain democratic institutions in this country. Tell me which country in the world can claim to have constitutional democracy from village up to the centre. Earlier be used of democracy at the centre at the state level now we have democracy at the village level the district level the only country in the world to this distinction and look around our neighbours and look around Global scene, our democracy is flourishing blushing and blooming all because no one in this country can get away from essential democratic values. The people of this country are spinally very strong, they can compromise on anything but democratic values. My appeal, I am sure this will be taken seriously by the alumni. I have been towing with an idea for a long time and have been indicating it to several other institutions. I will do it here.
Alumni of IITs, IIMs and leading Institutes of excellence in our country, they constitute a real reservoir of power, talent, exposure, experience. They must converge into a federation. There must be Federation of Alumni’s Associations of IIT, IIMs so that they can give guidance and enlighten people and enlighten policy makers to enlighten Parliamentarians on which way to go. When we have such a reservoir available to us by the way of rich gifted human resources why should we not avail the opportunity. That’s my appeal. My dear young friends, many positive path breaking and futuristic steps have been taken by various state governments and central government to ensure that country remains at the forefront of Technology and research literacy we don’t have any debates these days the debate is Literacy versus literacy today is available is human intelligence today’s all about you using artificial intelligence to the best of our benefit.
Recall the address of the Hon’ble Prime Minister to the Members of the Senate and Congress. You will vividly recollect if you have seen that address. He said AI, everyone understood AI ‘Artificial Intelligence’ he said America-India which means oldest mother of democracy and a developed democracy and the response was positive because he was talking about something which is writing on the wall. Gone are the days when an Indian Prime Minister could be taken differently. He is now a world leader. We are not only individuals, we are a Prime Minister who represents Bharat and its 1.4 billion people. His voice is heard and his advice is recurring to the decision making. That is a big change we all are having at the moment.
The Government of India recognises this rapidly changing landscape and I was happy to learn from my brief introduction that this is the focus area of IIT Delhi also. IIT Delhi has set up Artificial Intelligence and Robotics has specifically set up to foster research and innovation in this sector. Let me tell you, my young friends used to wait for several years and decades to align themselves with technology developments. Now we are in the forefront and we are not lagging behind. I will give you some illustrations which are seriously of concern to you because you are in a premium Institute, engaging and premium study which others are not having. Indian advancements have attracted collaborations from advanced countries USA, Germany, Japan, Israel, France, even NCERT is introducing a basic course in AI and preparing a new National Curriculum Framework and the with respect to artificial intelligence it is a great asset but you are a little thinking minds you know the dangers also. You know how top leaders in the industry have Red flagged it. How keen are they for the regulatory regime? You have to channelise your energy to make an impact at a global level with respect to artificial intelligence also. It has a great utility, great usefulness but your contribution will matter once you will engage into its in depth analysis of a working process globally quantum computers. I am not required to talk about quantum computers also but this is the right place for me to appreciate the governance that it has focussed attention in a meaningful manner on quantum computers they are a revival class of computers that work several times faster than the speediest machines of today and also facilitated exponentially secure communication network with wide application.
You will be happy to know that the Union Cabinet on April 19 2023 approved over 6000 crore rupees for the National Quantum Mission that will fund research and development of quantum computing technology and associated applications. This will make essential, if I were to reflect on it elsewhere they would be thinking I am talking something which difficult to comprehend but you are the real people who have to get into it and this mission is a quantum Jump for India and this was made when we approved National Quantum Missions to accelerate Quantum Technology led economic growth and leverage Bharat into a leading nation in the latest ecosystem
You will know more than I do which are the country’s leading it, the number is not in double digit. This will spur development in Quantum computing, Cryptography communications and material science this will a development of satellite based communication and long distance secure Quantum communication for a man like me who is not from that particular field even I get surcharged, motivated, and inspired but you have to work on it and opportunity for is for you and I am sure you will use it well.
Friends, in the world’s most connected democracy we have over 120 crore mobile connections. When I meet heads of some countries and I ask their populations; the population is less than 10 lakh or some have a population less than 1 lakh and look at our greatest strength. It is our demography- our youth demographic component, the world is envying it. It is taking our growth to exponential heights.
I wouldn’t say much about 6G but we are we early country to focus on it and you know the impact it will have, and the importance of it the positive consequences of it .When you all go to a villages you know the impact of it, which has transformed the lives of an ordinary Indian living in the village. आज वह सब अपने मोबाइल से करता है बिजली का बिल हो पाने का बीईएल हो पासपोर्ट का काम हो सरकारी डिलीवरी कोई लेनी हो he does it. We are a country which has been defined by the Prime Minister by using a very apt expression he said this decade in India is to be taken as ‘Te-cade’ which means technology will be taken on radar more prominently and this is making a great difference in our country.
I’m focused on another area where this is the appropriate forum. This is the most appropriate forum that opens vistas of opportunities and challenges where you have to be the best in the world and that is the National Green Hydrogen Mission. This aims to accelerate the deployment of green hydrogen as a clean energy source and will support the development of supply chains that can efficiently transport and distribute hydrogen. The National green hydrogen mission and the Initial outlay of 19000 crores was approved in January 2023 and the intended objective was making India leading producer and supplier of green hydrogen in the world, creation of export opportunities for green hydrogen and its derivatives. What I am saying next has to be fructified by your efforts. Your mind should be diverted to that area also.
Now what I am saying next has to be fructify by your efforts your mind should be diverted to that area also the indications are the target are 2030 are likely to bring about 8 lacs crores investment and creates over 6 lakhs jobs this is your responsibility you understand the subject much better to others it may be abstract idea but for you it is ground reality.
Nearly 50 MMT per annum of CO2 emissions are expected to be averted by 2030. This is not only sentence aversion. A challenge with the planet is facing that challenge should be combated by this mechanism. The mission will facilitate the demand, creation, production, utilisation and export of green hydrogen. I have no doubt some of you will be seriously engaged in this activity as you take a leap in the larger world.
This significant mission will enable India to be the global hub for the production and export of green hydrogen by 2030. We would like to replace rupees 1 lakh crore worth of fossil fuel imports with domestically produced green hydrogen. Now, this is not a simple replacement, we are paying heavily for the foreign exchange. I put an idea across to you also. Economic Nationalism is fundamental to the growth of our country, you are the brain that will secure it, my heart pains when we import certain items from other countries candles, Diya, kites, toys, curtains in the process what we are doing? We are not only draining out are foreign exchange and also depriving our hands of work. You are to ensure raw material should not leave our source. Why should we not add value to our raw material? If our raw material goes to another country it is some kind of recognition of failure that we are unable to do what others will do after getting it. If we are having certain items for industries like steel or aluminium, I am sure some of you will seriously focus on that and see the needs that are domestically made. We have technical upgrades, and that will happen for sure.
Friends, we are lucky and you are luckier living in a time where there is no dearth of opportunity, our diversity, our democracy, our demography are pillars of our strength. In a deeply connected country such as ours, technology is a game changer. It is to transform the national landscape.
सोचा था किसी ने की 11 करोड़ किसान 2 लाख 60 हजार करोड़ रुपए सीधे अपने बैंक अकाउंट में ले रहे हैं। I can appreciate the efficiency of the government is giving it. पर वह भी तो लेने को तैयार है।This is not a small change, it is a big change now there is no leakage, no cut money, no deduction in facilities is being made available and fiscal benefits are being made available directly to the person concerned.
I’ll give you some examples that will tell you where we are today, why the world is obsessed with us, Why the world is taking serious note of India. Why is the Indian PM’s voice heard seriously like never before? Why has he become a global leader?
In 2022, 1.5 trillion US dollars transactions were digital all over the world and our Bharat accounted for 46% of them. Digital transactions means the people are Technology savvy. They have access to technology, they can avail technologies 46% and these transactions are more than that of the USA UK France and Germany multiplied by 4. You are therefore well equipped to take a big jump because people have become Technology savvy and these are figures and undisputed globally. When it comes to internet users, we have more than 700 million. Our capital data consumption is more than that of the USA and China taken together. All because our people are geniuses.
हम भारतीय तो मोर की तरह हैं सब कुछ ठीक है तो पांव की तरफ देखते हैं तो मोड़ को भी थोड़ा झटका लगता है।
We have to believe in ourselves, we have to take pride in our historic epochal accomplishments, we have to keep our nation first and that young minds will do, I have no doubt about that. Total UPI transactions reached 9.3 billion in June 2023. UPI is now working in Singapore, Malaysia, Nepal, even in France and UK also. Let me diverge slightly, our ISRO we are putting satellites of these countries in space including the western countries. We are doing it and we become the first country in the world to land on the south pole of the moon.
