Youth can 4x Delhi's development if we work together: CM Rekha Gupta

New Delhi, Aug 22 (PTI) Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday said India's youth have proved they can quadruple the speed of development if given the right opportunities.

Gupta, who was attacked on Wednesday by a 41-year-old man at her camp office in north Delhi's Civil Lines, officially resumed her public engagements from Friday. She attended the Delhi Government’s Industrial Ideathon 2025 and announced 12 winners.

"We must not blindly follow traditions. Today's youth have shown us the power of new ideas. For years, India's population was seen as a burden, but today it is our greatest asset. Our young innovators have proved they can 4x the speed of Delhi's development if we work together," Gupta said at the event.  She said Delhi's challenges in water, sewerage, schools and infrastructure must be seen as opportunities rather than obstacles. "During Operation Sindoor, many felt they could give their lives for the country. But the real chance we have today is to live for the country — and our youth are doing just that through innovation," she added.

Thanking students for their participation, she said, "Delhi has a special role in making India the world’s third-largest economy. If we work with people’s partnership, Delhi will not only overcome its backlog of development but also become the most beautiful and best city in India." The month-long Ideathon saw nearly 1,200 registrations, narrowed down to 652 valid entries, 124 preliminary qualifiers, 40 finalists, and finally 12 winners.

Industries Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who inaugurated the event earlier in the day and interacted with all 40 finalist teams, said Delhi's scale of governance is larger than many states.

"Delhi is bigger than many countries. With a population of 3 crore — almost double that of Uttarakhand and one and a half times that of Haryana — the challenges of managing growth here are far greater. Under the leadership of CM Rekha Gupta, we have taken these challenges head-on. Today's Ideathon has brought youth directly into the heart of policymaking," he said.

He noted that the contest received around 2 lakh impressions on the website and nearly 1,200 registrations. “Each of the 40 ideas presented will be documented in a book for policymakers to revisit whenever needed," he said.  He thanked Gupta for removing red tape, including ending outdated McD permissions, to enable true ease of doing business.

The Industrial Ideathon 2025 was organised by the Delhi government's Industries Department through DSIIDC and co-hosted by Netaji Subhas University of Technology (NSUT) as knowledge partner. PTI SLB HIG HIG