Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday said opportunities in the ‘New Bharat’ are decided by merit, not patronage.

Addressing the annual convocation celebrations of the University of Delhi, the VP said, “The Bharat that awaits you is a level playing field. There is a platform for you to rise- based not on your lineage, patronage, nepotism, or corruption, but on talent and hard work. Nothing can be more rewarding for young, impressionable minds. You have a level playing field, and you must reap the fruits of it.”

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He said equality before law, quintessential to democracy, is no longer just a constitutional ideal, it is an acknowledged reality.

In an apparent reference to incumbent government at the Centre, Dhankhar commended the transparent governance ecosystem in the country.

Without naming anyone, he said, “Dark clouds of corruption that cast a shadow over our nation for a period far too long have now vanished. Governance, rather than being an obstruction, is now enabling-open, accessible, and serves the people, not a privileged few.”

Referring to India’s rise on the international front as a global leader, the VP said, “The world now recognises India’s soft diplomacy as a stabilising force and as the voice of the Global South .”

He said the inclusion of the African Union and the announcement of the India-Middle East-Europe trade route in G20 as resounding successes in this regard.

Referring to the youth as the most vital stakeholders in governance, the VP called upon the discerning minds to neutralise those who engage in tainting and tarnishing our national image.

“Beware of those who have an insatiable appetite to set afloat anti national narratives. Beware of those who have an ostrich stance to our exponential phenomenal economic and developmental rise. Beware of those who are a recipe for chaos when it comes to serve the nation”, he cautioned.

Exhorting the students to shake off the obsession with competitive examinations and look beyond usual job opportunities, Dhankhar said, “Bharat has expectations from you, not just as employees, but as innovators, entrepreneurs, and change makers”.

Future belongs to those who dare to dream bigger, bolder, beyond the ordinary, he told the graduating students.

Citing that India is at the forefront when it comes to investment and research in disruptive technologies, the VP said initiatives like Green Hydrogen Mission and National Quantum Mission as new avenues of growth for the youth and asked them to make full use of these technologies for the benefit of the nation and society at large.