Calling the present times a transformational phase for the country, the vice president said, “We are a nation on the rise, the rise is unstoppable, the rise is incremental. We are no longer a nation with potential.
“Our potential is getting exploited. We are no longer a nation that dreams, No.” “Viksit Bharat is our destination, we are marching towards that and we will succeed,” he asserted, urging the youth to contribute by making optimal use of their time and talent.
He said India’s achievements in science and defence reflect this growing strength.
“What I did not dream. I never thought Bharat will rise so much that we will be the first nation in the world to land our Chandrayaan-3 at the South Pole of the Moon.” Welcoming the increased participation of women in all sectors, the vice president said a big change has taken place. The Sainik Schools were meant only for boys and 50 per cent of humanity was ignored.
“Can you succeed in the world without 50 per cent of the talent not being recognised?” he asked.
He said Indian girls are combat pilots, they are in the police force and in the CAPFs (Central Armed Police Forces). He said those girls involved with ISRO are called rocket women. Participation of girls in equal measure is fundamental, he said.
Appreciating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, he said, “I must appreciate Prime Minister Modi for achieving something which did not happen for three decades earlier — an epochal development, a game-changing development — one-third reservation for women in Lok Sabha and state legislatures.” He also highlighted the establishment of all-girls Sainik Schools, including one in Mathura, as a major milestone.
Calling Sainik School Chittorgarh his true birthplace, Dhankhar said, “I was born in village Kithana, district Jhunjhunu but that was my biological birth. My real birth took place in Sainik School, Chittorgarh.” “Sainik School taught me values, discipline, decorum, friendliness, care for the environment, to be one amongst many and not to be alone ever.” The vice president encouraged students to overcome fear and failure. “Never fear, never have tension, never have stress because these only slide you down. There are no failures in life. Failure is a message: do more.” He invoked Swami Vivekananda’s call to action, “Arise, Awake and stop not till the goal is reached.” PTI AG KSS KSS