Today’s youth is the history creator of tomorrow, President Ram Nath Kovind said today as he highlighted the special role played by the youth in nation-building.

“The youth are both the present and the future of any country. Their talent and ability play a special role in making a country proud,” he said addressing the Yuva Sammelan organised by ‘My Home India’ in New Delhi.

“We know that India has the largest population of adolescents and youth in the world. This is called the ‘Demographic Dividend’ which is an opportunity for our country. We should take all necessary steps to take advantage of this opportunity. It should be our aim that our youth contribute to the maximum in the development and progress of the country. The future of our country depends on the enterprise and determination of the youth,” Kovind said.

The president said it was a matter of great pride that Indian youth have laid the foundation of many start-ups by their talent and hard work. Today’s youth was on the path of becoming a job creator rather than a job seeker. “It is very important that the youth acquire some kind of skill and choose their career on the basis of that skill. Today’s era is of specialisation. Only technology and expertise can take our youth to the top,” he added.

The President noted that as of 29 June, 103 unicorns have been established in India, with a total valuation of about $336 billion. He said that today, one out of every 10 unicorns in the world were in India.

He also noted that as of May 2022, 47 companies across the world have achieved decacorn status in which four were Indian start-ups and three of them were run by youth.

Pointing to the increase in the number of unicorns in India even during Covid-19, he said that the pandemic has caused great socio-economic suffering globally, but even during this time the Indian young entrepreneurs have set a wonderful example of courage and talent.

The President said that the culture and civilisation of our India was very ancient. And since ancient times, India has adopted the principle of unity in diversity. The land of India has always been adorning various civilisations and traditions.

He was happy to note that ‘My Home India’ was spreading the spirit of national unity and integrity through its various initiatives. He said that the youth conference to make the young people aware about nationalism was a commendable effort.