Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said a developed India will be the India of youngsters’ dreams and they have the maximum right to decide how the country shapes up in the future.
Addressing a function to lay the foundation of railway projects, the Prime Minister said the third term of his government will start in June, but the scale and speed with which new projects have begun have left everyone baffled.
“People have seen a new India being built in the last 10 years,” he said, highlighting the transformation in the railways, including the launch of Vande Bharat trains, an emphasis on cleanliness and electrification of tracks.
Recalling the events he attended in Jammu and Gujarat over the last couple of days, Modi said he dedicated a dozen Indian institutes of technology (IITs) and Indian institutes of management (IIMs) and five All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to the country. The Indian Railways is undergoing a transformation and it will benefit those who are studying in schools and colleges and those below 35 years of age, he said, adding that he has laid the foundation for the work to revamp more than 550 railway stations across 27 states and 300 districts.
“Youngsters have the maximum say in deciding how Viksit Bharat (developed India) will shape up.... I wish to tell every youngster of the country that your dream is Modi’s resolve. Your dream, your hard work and Modi’s resolve is the guarantee for Viksit Bharat,” the Prime Minister said, addressing the gathering spread across 2,000 railway stations and function sites.
Modi laid the foundation for 554 Amrit Bharat stations, a government initiative to revamp key railway stations across the country, and inaugurated rail overbridges and underbridges. The Prime Minister’s outreach to youngsters comes against the backdrop of a surge in the number of first-time voters in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Nearly 1.85 crore first-time voters — in the age group of 18-19 — have registered for the polls likely to be held in April-May, as against the 1.5 crore ahead of the 2019 general election. The total number of voters aged below 30 years is nearly 22 crore.
Modi lauded the youngsters who participated in various competitions across the country on the theme of “2047: Viksit Bharat ki Railway”.