Union minister Anurag Thakur on Saturday described the youth as the "builders of tomorrow" and urged them to commit themselves to the growth of the country by picking one social cause and working to find solutions for the issues associated with it.
Addressing a gathering after launching the Yuva Utsav-India@2047 event, he said India is the world's biggest yuva shakti (youth power) and it must strive to achieve its immense potential.
"You should not live your life just for yourself, for your career and for your family. Let us commit ourselves to the growth of this country, for the making of this country,” he said, asking them to be the changemakers.
"You are not only the present but you are the builders of tomorrow," he said.
The minister of youth affairs and sports also urged students to pick one social cause each and work to find solutions to it. He spoke about the sacrifices of freedom fighters and urged the youth to make them proud.
"Today, India has become the third largest startup ecosystem in the world. We have 107 unicorns...All this has been possible due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji's efforts and initiatives like Start-Up India and Stand-Up India," he added.
The Yuva Utsav was simultaneously hosted in several cities and towns such as Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh, Dhar and Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh, Hanumangarh in Rajasthan, Saraikela in Jharkhand, Jalgaon in Maharashtra, Karimnagar in Telangana, and Palakkad in Kerala.
In the first phase, Yuva Utsav programmes are being hosted by schools and colleges across the country from March to June.
The pan-India event follows a 3-tier format. The winners at the district level will participate in the state-level Yuva Utsav to be held from August to September in state capitals.
The winners of all the state-level programmes will participate in the national-level events to be held in October in Delhi.
Across the three levels, young artists, writers, photographers and orators will compete.