Tells Chief Secretaries that youth are driving change
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said India has boarded the “Reform Express,” driven primarily by the strength of its young population, and that empowering youth remains the government’s top priority.
Addressing the Chief Secretaries’ Conference, the Prime Minister said the primary engine of this Reform Express is India’s youth and its favourable demographic profile. He described the conference as a decisive step towards strengthening cooperative federalism and deepening Centre–State partnership to realise the vision of Viksit Bharat.
Emphasising the importance of human capital, comprising knowledge, skills, health, and capabilities, Modi said it is the fundamental driver of economic growth and social progress and must be developed through a coordinated whole-of-government approach. The conference focused on the theme “Human Capital for Viksit Bharat.”
Highlighting India’s demographic advantage, he said nearly 70 per cent of the population is of working age, presenting a unique historical opportunity that, when combined with economic progress, can accelerate the country’s development journey. He noted that the conference comes at a time when India is witnessing next-generation reforms and moving steadily towards becoming a major global economic power.
Modi said Viksit Bharat must be synonymous with quality and excellence and urged stakeholders to move beyond average outcomes. Stressing quality in governance, service delivery, and manufacturing, he said the “Made in India” label should become a symbol of global competitiveness.
He called for strengthening Aatmanirbharta with a focus on “Zero Defect, Zero Effect,” urging minimal environmental impact alongside high-quality production. He asked the Centre and States to jointly identify 100 products for domestic manufacturing to reduce import dependence and enhance economic resilience.
The Prime Minister underlined the need to map skill demand at State and global levels to better design skill development strategies and called for closer collaboration between academia and industry to create high-quality talent. He said tourism could play a major role in youth livelihoods and urged States to prepare roadmaps for developing at least one global-standard tourist destination, supported by a complete tourism ecosystem.
On sports, Modi said India should align its national sports calendar with global events and prepare to host the 2036 Olympics by building world-class infrastructure and a robust sports ecosystem. He urged States to identify and nurture young talent over the next decade to achieve success at international events.
He announced that India would soon launch the National Manufacturing Mission (NMM) and asked States to prioritise it by creating infrastructure to attract global companies, improving ease of doing business, particularly land, utilities, and social infrastructure—and strengthening the services sector.
Modi also said India should shift towards high-value agriculture, dairy, and fisheries with an export focus to become the food basket of the world. He referred to the PM Dhan Dhanya Scheme, which has identified 100 low-productivity districts, and urged States to similarly identify and address districts with poor learning outcomes.
The Prime Minister further encouraged States to leverage the Gyan Bharatam Mission to digitise manuscripts and launch dedicated campaigns for the same. He said digitisation would enable the use of artificial intelligence to synthesise the knowledge and wisdom contained in these manuscripts.
