'Yuva shakti' a driving force of India’s journey': PM Modi at youth festival

Prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the "yuva shakti" (youth power) is the driving force of India's future and its growth would provide ample opportunities to the youth of the nation. Modi was addressing after inaugurating the 26th National Youth Festival 2023 in Hubballi, Karnataka, on the occasion of Swami Vivekananda’s birth anniversary.

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Remembering Vivekananda, Modi said his pan-India visits was a reflection of the oneness of India's consciousness which reflects the true spirit of "Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat". India is taking this feeling with new resolutions in Amrit Kaal, he added.

Emphasising the importance of the youth, the prime minister said they are the future of India. “The next 25 years are important for building the nation. Yuva shakti's dreams decide India's direction, their aspirations decide India's destination, and their passion decides India's power," he said.

Modi also spoke about India’s achievements on a global level. He said today, India is the world's fifth-largest economy and aims to take India to the top 3 economies of the world.

From toys to tourism, defence to agriculture, India is making headlines across the globe. "Today, there are global voices saying this century is India's century. It is your century, a century of India's youth," he added.

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Modi said to harness the youth’s power, "we need to be young with our thoughts, dynamic with our efforts, and panoramic in our perspective".

"If the world looks to us for solutions, it's because of the dedication of our Amrit generation", he added.

The 26th National Youth Festival is being organised by the ministry of youth affairs and sports in collaboration with the Karnataka government from January 12 to 16 at Hubballi-Dharwad in Karnataka.

The theme of the festival this year is 'Viksit Yuva Viksit Bharat'.

(with inputs from ANI)