World looking towards India for solutions to challenges: Om Birla

Indore (MP), Feb 27 (PTI) Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday described India's youth as its biggest strength, and said the world is looking towards the country for solutions to its challenges.

Addressing the eighth convocation ceremony of Shri Vaishnav Vidyapeeth Vishwavidyalaya here as the chief guest, he also said that the ability of Indian youth to address global challenges is going up through innovation and research.

"Countries across the world are looking towards India for solutions to their challenges, and their focus is on the demographic strength of our youth," Birla said.

Young people are India's greatest strength, and their capability, confidence and new outlook are taking the country on the path of development, he said.

The proportion of youth in the population is declining in several countries, reducing their capacity to deal with emerging challenges. The ability of Indian youth to address global challenges is steadily increasing through innovation and new research, he added.

Young people are addressing challenges faced by India as well as the world through start-ups, and resolving these challenges is their responsibility, he said.

According to him, Indian youth would have to work harder and further enhance their capabilities to deal with global challenges.

"We need to make collective efforts on our university campuses and adapt ourselves to changing technologies so that we can become more capable of meeting global challenges," Birla said.

He said the foundation of India's changing future is being laid in the present phase and innovations and new research by the youth are taking the country forward.

The Lok Sabha speaker extended his best wishes to students graduating at the convocation ceremony to face real-life challenges ahead and expressed confidence that they would contribute in every possible way towards making India a developed nation.

He praised educational institutions established in Indore based on initiatives taken by Vaishnav community textile traders in 1884, saying these institutions preserved Indian culture and values even during the period of foreign rule.

Birla said that during the rule of the Mughals and the British, efforts were made to erode India's spiritual culture, values and thoughts, but such attempts did not succeed due to the country's cultural vitality.

Indore Lok Sabha MP Shankar Lalwani and university chancellor Purushottamdas Pasari were also present at the ceremony.

During the event, degrees were awarded to 2,008 undergraduate and postgraduate students and 32 PhD scholars. Sixteen meritorious students were also honoured with gold medals for securing top positions in their respective courses. PTI HWP LAL NP