“Youth are the future of the country,” said Karuna Gopal Vartakavi, Founder President, Foundation for Futuristic Cities, Independent Director, Engineers India, Government of India. She was delivering a Lecture on Amrit Kaal Vimarsh Viksit Bharat@ 2047- Voice of Youth, organised by ICFAI Staff College at the ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education, Hyderabad.
Addressing the students, staff and guests who attended the event physically and virtually, Karuna spoke about the vision of Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India to make India a developed country by 2047. Karuna mentioned India as a re-emerging country. Highlighting some of the remarkable milestones that India has achieved under the leadership of Narendra Modi, Karuna said that India is giving tough competition to countries like Germany and Japan. Smt Karuna mentioned the various programmes and platforms that the government has designed for the youth of the country. She also mentioned how the girls in the country are doing exceptionally well in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) globally.
Speaking of the youth, Karuna said that they are much more confident, competent and concerned about nation-building. Recalling her association with ICFAI, she spoke about a Rs 1600 crore project that was successfully completed by students of ICFAI under her supervision in 2005.
Karuna emphasised that the youth of the nation should be aware of the threats to the nation. She urged the students not to become victims of cybercrime and also to be cautious with the use of Artificial Intelligence. Karuna urged the youth to stop the brain drain and contribute to the nation. She also advised the youth to be good citizens and also to respect the elders and their wisdom. She said the youth of the country are capable of taking responsibility for the Nation’s growth on their shoulders and making India proud.
Prof LS Ganesh, Vice-Chancellor of the university, in his address, insisted that India should be looked up to as a very sensitive, sensible and fair nation. He added that the competence, character and culture of the youth play an important role in the growth of the country.
Dr K.L Narayana, Director, IcfaiTech, delivered the Welcome address and spoke about the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra campaign, its schemes and core objectives. In his address, Dr KS Venugopal Rao, Director, ICFAI Business School, Hyderabad, mentioned the demographic dividend that India has in the form of its young workforce. He said this gives India a competitive advantage over other countries in the field of technology and innovation. Dr M Bhaskara Rao, Co-ordinator of ICFAI Staff College coordinated the event. The students of the university and faculty members attended the programme at large.
