Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced that the government will work to provide Artificial Intelligence (AI) skill training to one crore youth over the next year, with the aim of equipping them to lead globally in the field of AI.
Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on India’s 80th Independence Day, PM Modi emphasised the role of the country’s youth in achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat.
“When I speak of a Viksit Bharat, when I speak of advancing the nation at high speed, who is the greatest beneficiary of this? Who is the greatest driving force behind all these efforts? If there is a driving force, it is the youth of my country. It is the power of my nation’s youth,” PM Modi said.
Highlighting India’s growing entrepreneurial ecosystem, the Prime Minister said more than 2.5 lakh startups are operating in the country and young entrepreneurs are contributing to employment generation.
“There are more than 2.5 lakh startups. Youths are working towards this and also creating jobs. The government has announced a Rs 1 lakh crore fund, I want to say to them, come with the dream, we will not let you feel lack of any resources,” he said.
PM Modi also highlighted India’s digital growth and said the country has one of the world’s most affordable internet services.
He underlined the expansion of higher education infrastructure, saying that while there were fewer than 350 universities between 2004 and 2014, the country now has nearly 1,000 universities.
“I want to give you data from 2004 to 2014, there were less than 350 universities. Today, we have 650 new universities. We are almost crossing 1,000,” he said.
Emphasising efforts to encourage young people to pursue technology and innovation, PM Modi said the government had been working continuously to create an environment that attracts youth towards emerging technologies.
Referring to India’s recent AI Summit, the Prime Minister announced the initiative to expand AI skills among young people.
“We have resolved that in the coming one year, we will work to provide AI skill training to 1 crore youth, so that the youth of our nation possess the capability to lead the world in the domain of AI as well,” he said.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat before arriving at the Red Fort for the Independence Day celebrations.
This year’s Independence Day also marked the first time since Independence that the National Song ‘Vande Mataram’ was rendered during the celebrations at the Red Fort.
-IANS
