Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Apr 29: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the YUGM conclave, declared that India's youth are driving a wave of innovation, achieving significant research milestones across diverse sectors. YUGM ("confluence" in Sanskrit) is a groundbreaking strategic gathering uniting leaders from government, academia, industry, and the innovation ecosystem.
The Prime Minister emphasized that YUGM serves as a vital platform for stakeholders to collaborate towards achieving a "Viksit Bharat" (Developed India), and will "strengthen efforts to boost the country’s innovation capacity and deep tech advancements".
"Our endeavour is to empower the youth with skills that make them self-reliant and position India as a global innovation hub," PM Modi stated.
Highlighting India's robust position in research and development, he asserted that "our youth is ready and disruptive today, and it is achieving milestones in different sectors."
PM Modi illustrated this point with examples such as the 410-meter-long first Hyperloop test track developed by IIT Madras researchers, and the "brain on a chip" technology, capable of storing and processing data in 16,500 states within a molecular film, created by scientists at the Indian Institute of Science (IISC).
He stressed that "India’s future depends on the youth," and that the "education system shares a great responsibility" in shaping them into future leaders.
"We are modernising the country's education system according to the needs of the 21st century," PM Modi said.
He highlighted the DIKSHA (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing) platform, which has established the One Nation, One Digital infrastructure.
"The infrastructure is AI-based, scalable and is being used to develop textbooks in over 30 Indian languages and seven foreign languages," the PM explained.
PM Modi also lauded the country's burgeoning research ecosystem, noting that gross expenditure on research has more than doubled – currently exceeding Rs 1.15 crore, up from just Rs 60 crore in 2013-14.
To further stimulate research, he outlined various initiatives, including the establishment of state-of-the-art research parks, the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), the One Nation, One Subscription program, and the PM Research Fellowship.
"The country’s innovation culture is also growing -- from 40,000 patents in 2014, we now have over 80,000. This shows that the youth are getting support," he said, while also emphasizing India's improved rankings in global assessments like the QS rankings.
He also highlighted the establishment of Indian campuses in Abu Dhabi (IIT Delhi) and Tanzania (IIT Madras), as well as the setting up of foreign university campuses in India.
"This will pave the way for academic exchange, research collaboration, and cross-cultural learning exposure to our students," he said.
He urged industry leaders to support young researchers, providing guidance and funding to facilitate larger innovations.
"It is crucial that the journey from idea to prototype to product is completed in the shortest time possible," PM Modi said.
While acknowledging India's rapid adoption of AI and the increasing establishment of AI excellence centers, he emphasized that "our vision is to make AI work for India."
The event, held at Bharat Mandapam, was driven by a collaborative project of approximately Rs 1,400 crore, with joint investment from the Wadhwani Foundation and government institutions.