Youth Powering India’s Rise: Kishan Reddy
Youth Powering India’s Economic Rise: Kishan Reddy
HYDERABAD: Union minister Kishan Reddy on Friday credited India’s emergence as the world’s fourth-largest economy to the energy and capabilities of its youth, noting that the nation’s demographic advantage — with an average age of 30 — continues to drive rapid economic growth.
Speaking at the 16th Rozgar Mela held at Rail Kalarang in Secunderabad, held as part of a nationwide programme headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi, he said the newly appointed youth will shape India’s future over the next 25 years, and play a central role in achieving Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a “Viksit Bharat 2047.”
He said more than 10.5 lakh candidates have received appointment letters across the country in 15 previous Rozgar Melas, with an additional 51,000 job letters being distributed in this phase. He highlighted that under Modi’s leadership, India had moved from being the 10th largest economy in 2014 to the fourth largest today, and was on track to become the third largest soon.
He said the government’s approach to employment goes beyond job creation and aims to foster job creators through support for startups and skill development. Since 2017, he said, the economy has generated 8.5 crore new jobs, with over 3.5 crore youth aged 18 to 28 registered with the Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO). In the current financial year alone, 1.13 crore joined EPFO, making India’s social security net the largest in the world, now covering 64 per cent of the population.
Praising the Start-up India initiative, the minister said it had enabled the launch of over 1.6 lakh startups in 11 years, creating employment for 17.6 lakh people, especially in tier-2 and tier-3 cities. This, he said, has reduced the need for youth to migrate to metros in search of work. He also underscored the rising role of women in the economic landscape. Of the 52 crore Mudra Yojana loans disbursed so far, 68 per cent were availed by women. As a result, female labour force participation rose from 23 per cent in 2017–18 to 41.7 per cent in 2023–24.
Skill development continues to be a national priority, he said, with 1.6 crore youth trained under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana in cutting-edge domains like artificial intelligence, 5G, drone technology, cybersecurity and green hydrogen. ITIs are being modernised, new National Skill Training Institutes are being set up, and the MY Bharat portal is being expanded to offer career support and access to government schemes.
Kishan Reddy urged the newly appointed government employees to serve with sincerity and to always remember the support of their parents and mentors. He called upon the youth to join the nation-building effort and help shape a “New India the world will admire”.