Youth should be aware of rights but also mindful of duties & responsibilities: Dharmendra Pradhan

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday called upon the youth to be aware of their rights, but also mindful of the responsibilities and duties towards the nation.

He also recommended the youth take on challenges that will prepare them to take on new professions that will be formed as a result of technological advancements, as numerous employment routes will become outdated.

As the world's expectations of India have grown, Pradhan noted that young people should no longer only think of themselves as accountable for their families or neighbourhoods but also for the nation and for the less privileged around the world.

"The world looks at India with great hope. I appeal to our youth that while they should be aware of their rights, they must also be mindful of their duties and responsibilities towards the nation. They must assume greater responsibilities for solving global problems," he said while addressing the gathering at Yuva Samvad: India @2047 organised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

"Our youth should no longer consider themselves responsible for their families or districts, but also for the country and the underprivileged in other countries. Our youth has to develop solutions for them and the thinking has to be global," he added.

Stating that India is endowed with deep civilisational origins, the education minister emphasized that it is up to our vibrant younger population to carry this legacy forward.

"In the 21st century, the responsibility of taking Indian values, ethos, knowledge and models to the world rests upon our youth. In the thousands of glorious years of our history, our youth have taken lead in shaping our destiny. Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Shaheed Baji Rout, Rani Gaidinliu and countless others like them inspired us and led from the front during their prime youth," he added.

Pradhan noted that the experts have predicted that by 2025, many jobs will be taken over by machines.

"So with the advent of technology, half of the jobs were done by individuals and half by machines which means that crores of jobs will become redundant and crores of new jobs will be created.

"The world's expectations from the country have increased. When the pandemic began to wreak havoc, we were not manufacturing PPE kits and today we are exporting them too. Similarly, our scientists rose up to the occasion and developed the COVID-19 vaccines and today we fulfil not just the demand of our own people, but also for other countries," he said.