Youth should strive to build 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047: Nirmala Sitharaman

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 16 (IANS) Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman, said on Saturday that the youth of the country should strive to build a 'Viksit Bharat' (Developed India) by 2047.

She made this statement while addressing students at graduation ceremony of the Fatima Mata National College at Kollam, nearly 70 km from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala's state capital.

The Union Minister added that youth are revving to take India's development to the next stage.

"The youth should make use of opportunities available to them today and pursue skills based on their aptitude," said Sitharaman.

She asked the students to make use of the 'Digital Revolution' by selectively filtering credible, reliable and legitimate information from the flood of information.

The Minister also asked the students to remain positive and constructive members of the society.

"Blending education with patriotism will create eminent students who effectively contribute to society. Each student has the potential to be a job creator in today's India, as areas such as space and atomic sectors have benefitted from participation of private sector," said Sitharaman.

She added that Kerala has immensely contributed to India's startup ecosystem.

"Kerala has huge potential for startups in its coastal area, spice sector and redressal of public awareness issues. Kerala is an important contributor to India's Fintech industry and has good potential to become a knowledge hub for India," she said.