Very good morning, all of you.

One thing we always know, things are never perfect. We have to make changes and primarily on account of inputs. Personally, I take it as a great milestone for the institution.

It was about a year ago, I think 13 months, we started it in May 2024. This is the 7th edition and total including you all is 217. I expect a yearly input of 250 plus, given the importance of India's demographic dividend. Our median age for the youth is 28 years, we are 10 years younger to China and the U.S.A You have the most significant role to play for attainment of Viksit Bharat because you are at that prime of your age, where with each passing year, you will be having incremental journey, both in terms of time and seeing our Bharat home to one-sixth of humanity change for the better.

You therefore are the most vital stakeholders in democracy, in national growth, and in attainment of Viksit Bharat. Therefore, as I say quite often, the engine will have to fire on all cylinders. Viksit Bharat is not a dream, as Bharat is no longer a nation with potential. We are a nation on the rise and Viksit Bharat is our destination for sure.

Going by the overall system and addressing the serious concern raised by the Secretary-General Shri P.C. Modi, uncertainty of future, where do we go from here? This is a real concern. I have personally lived life the tough way. If we have these officials, they have made their way through tough terrain, difficult terrain, air pockets, headwinds, challenging scenario, sometimes getting frustrated also. While there has been 180 degree change in India's ecosystem, we live in times of hope and possibility. There is no gloom or despondency but then there will be setbacks which you will not find rational.

There will be success of some which you may find unjustified. I appeal to you, don't be critical, this is part of the game. The overall system is excellent, there are affirmative policies of the government that allow every young mind to use his talent and potential exploitation to realise dreams and ambitions. Let me give a small illustration, our youth desperately look for government jobs. They think that there is nothing beyond government jobs. Now just think for a moment, if International Monetary Fund says India is global favourite destination of investment and opportunity, is it for government jobs? — No. So there must be much beyond government jobs. So youth will have to come out of the silo that these are the opportunities, we must get into clusters, go to coaching classes, desperately work day and night, live in challenging conditions, thinking if we don't get it the world comes to an end. That is no longer the scenario.

Your opportunity basket is ever getting enlarged. Think for a moment, how many people from top services, IAS and others have left their jobs to get into marketing of agricultural produce, milk, fruits, vegetables. Look at the premier institutions, the IIMs, they don't look for government jobs. IITs, top schools, great colleges and therefore, once you get it out of your mind that my future depends only on government service, you will be really happy. You just have to strain your mind slightly to know the avenues that are available to you.

Therefore, there should never be an occasion in your life to think for a moment, what I will do. World's largest market is India, you have to commit yourselves to make life better for 1.4 billion people. Individually, every citizen can contribute massively and that will be a great impact on our mindset and on our progress. Therefore, it was a serious concern, but the kind of expertise you have, the kind of connect you will have at the moment, with 217, the number will go. It is in three digits, number will go to four digits. It will keep on rising so as you will grow and march in your life, you will have the great benefit that in every district of this country, you will have Rajya Sabha Internship Fellow that will be a great connect and that will be nectar of life.

We are in the process of evolution of a very strong, robust mechanism of connectivity amongst you all so people will look for those who have got this kind of internship. Not finalised yet but then we will go for an optional programme. We'll choose amongst the interns of first five batches. We'll have a definite number and give them what is known as very advanced training. So it will take three stages, we are at the moment in the first stage. First stage, the input is from all quarters, the second stage will be input from amongst you all on what you want and what limitations we have so it will be ongoing exercise, you may be in any walk of life, in any discipline, surely you can take out seven days for the second kind of internship we have in planning. We'll unfold it on a platform so take it from that sense.

When things go the right way, like family gets good income, country is on growth trajectory, there are challenges and the challenges come with success. Challenges come with material gain so when Bharat is on the rise, there are challenges because when Bharat is rising at this speed, the world thinks 5,000 years ago this country was in existence. Uniqueness of our civilisation. Therefore, we have to be on guard.

I appeal to you, contribute to change of national mindset. Our mindset has to be nation first. We have to show exemplary commitment to national welfare and patriotism. National interest is supreme, no interest or fiscal gain can be higher than this but look around. Are we having that mindset? People challenge public order on the street, public property is destroyed, there must be national anger, there must be national wrath. These people must be named and shamed. The system will move fast but there is an overall mindset that no, how can you challenge public order? National discipline, whether it is on the road or otherwise, defines where our nation is going.

Therefore, I suggest to you to pledge yourselves today. Take प्रतिज्ञा, प्रण लीजिए, पंच प्राण के And this has come out from our civilisational ethos. And these five principles, full of sublimity, are aimed at making the nation great and great and great. The first is social harmony — सामाजिक समरसता That transcends diversity, it results in national unity.

The world has learned from India, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam — The world is one family. We have demonstrated to the world by our Upanishads, Vedas, Epics, inclusivity. Therefore, Samajik Samrasta is fundamental which requires we must take on forces that are inimical to this concept. The challenge to Samajik Samrasta is emerging by challenging our identity, our identity is defined. You can look into our historical perspective. Therefore, demographic changes which are not organic. Demographic changes that population of a particular sector must increase so that by strength of population we can come closer to power — that cannot happen.

We cannot have in the country millions of illegal migrants and therefore, your duty as an individual, we must identify them. Why employ those who are not our citizens? Who come to this country not legally but illegally? A serious question. The moment for some ease, affordability, you employ an illegal migrant. You are snatching work from our own people. I see all around with pain and anguish these illegal migrants are servicing nearly several critical areas in high-rise buildings and otherwise. They are a great drain on our employment potential. On our civic amenities. You have to be alert at it.

India is a country that believes in harmony which means you practise a religion as per your volition, your option, your choice. You cannot be made to be attracted to a religion by sugar-coated promises, allurements that is a step towards destroying a sense of Indian identity. Anyone has a right to choose a religion of his or her choice but if there is allurement, temptation, something that comes with a string that is a challenge to our civilisational essence, our foundations will shake. I can assure you this change is taking place. Every individual has a right and duty to attend to this.

The second is family enlightenment ‘Kutumb Prabodhan’. You are at the right age, what you learned as a child remains with you all your life. The good values are imbibed as a child. Temperament of our culture, our values, respecting elders, loving the neighbour, caring for society. All this happens with ‘Kutumb Prabodhan’ and this ‘Prabodhan’ comes after Prabandh, you must learn it. So at this age, if you find a younger child, spend a few moments to give some good advice to the child, encourage the child. There will be peace and harmony in the system.

Third is environmental protection — Paryavaran Sanrakshan. Now, this is a buzzword in all boardrooms, in all parliaments, in global bodies. Climate change, climate change. Who is responsible — Reckless exploitation of nature. Therefore, all of you must be torchbearers and watchdogs. We are trustees of natural resources. These natural resources have to be optimally utilised to cater to your minimum needs. Imagine someone says, I can afford any number of cars and my cars can be used lavishly, indulgently, because I can afford the price of the car, petrol and gas — No. You can't do that so follow that principle.

Environmental protection, Prime Minister Modi gave a call ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’, I said, this is minimum ‘ek ped’. No limitation of one and no limitation only for mother. I started for both my parents. Pledge yourself, कितना अच्छा लगेगा माँ के नाम पेड़, पिता के नाम पेड़, दादा दादी के नाम, नाना-नानी के नाम और उस पेड़ को nurture कीजिए। ज्ञान होगा कौन सा पेड़ लगाऊँ? ज्ञान होगा इस पेड़ का क्या महत्व है? You will have a great attraction to that.

Fourth, Mahatma Gandhi gave us a clarion call during freedom movement — Swadeshi. Prime Minister Modi has given another call — Be vocal for local. I urge you to believe in Sawdeshi, be vocal for local so that we realise the dream of Atmanirbhar Bharat. I'll give you one small illustration. By importing avoidable goods, clothings, carpets, lights, this material, toys, furniture, we are sending our foreign exchange abroad to the extent of billions of dollars but apart from that, we are depriving our people of work. So if you get committed to Sawdeshi, vocal for local, and this is individual effort, you will be massively contributing to economy of this nation. I call it economic nationalism. At the cost of economic nationalism, we cannot gain financially. A fiscal gain, whatever be its quantum, can never be a justifiable premise to throw away commitment to economic nationalism. That's something you have to do.

The last civic duties in our constitution, framers of the constitution did not include fundamental duties because they were short. These fundamental duties are there in our culture. They are part of our civilisation but as we progressed, it was found necessary to have a separate part in the constitution. Part IVA, Fundamental Duties. There are 11 Fundamental Duties. If you go through those Fundamental Duties, then please do it today. You only have to Google Part IVA of Indian constitution, fundamental duties 11. Each one of them is easy to be implemented but the result will be absolutely phenomenal, exponential for the nation, for the society, believe in that.

Two events, boys and girls, are around the corner, one is tomorrow. Tomorrow is International Yoga Day. This emanates from our treasure, it has its origin in Bharat. It is deeply embedded in our scriptures, the essence of it. Our Atharva Ved is encyclopaedic about health, wellness, how to take care of the body. This idea occurred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that we must share this good practise with the entire world. We had a great achievement in September 2014 when Prime Minister began his first term he made a clarion call at the United Nations while he was addressing the General Assembly. He said, “Yoga is an invaluable gift of India's ancient tradition.” The world picked it up. In the shortest of time, within 75 days, largest number of countries, 177 nations, converged into a resolution of the United Nations. Resolution 69/131 on December 11, 2014 declaring June 21 as International Yoga Day. Since then it is celebrated all over the nation.

I had the occasion, we'll be celebrating 11th tomorrow. I had the occasion to be at the main function in the nation on 9th International Yoga Day at Jabalpur and the Prime Minister of the country, Prime Minister of the largest democracy on the planet, most vibrant democracy, oldest democracy had the occasion to participate in a similar programme at United Nations Headquarters.

Boys and girls, yoga is not limited only for this International Yoga Day celebration on June 21. June 21 is a focal centre for everyone to know about it. It has to be part of your daily life. Start practising it, you can do it in parts at any time of the day also. It will give you relief, purify you from every sense, take on occasions despondency out of you.

None of you were around about an incident. I am reflecting which comes as an anniversary, sad anniversary, this week within seven days. India was in its 28th year of its independence from British colonial regime 1975. It was June 25, 1975 at midnight President of India then, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, he signed at the instance of Prime Minister, then Prime Minister, Smt. Indira Gandhi, a declaration of emergency in the nation. It was for the first time. Now, you are discerning minds, a president cannot act on the advice of an individual, the Prime Minister.

The Constitution is very categorical, there is a Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister to aid and advise the President. This was one violation but what was the result? More than 100,000 citizens of this country were put behind the bars in hours. They were dragged out of their homes, put in cells all over the country. Our Constitution ceased to exist, our media was held hostage. Some of the illustrious papers, Indian Express, to name one, there are others, the statesman being another. They had blank editorials and you know, illustratively, who were these people who were suddenly put behind the bars? Many of them became Prime Ministers of this country — Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Morarji Desai, Chandra Shekhar Ji.

Many of them became Chief Ministers, Governors, scientists, talented people, many of them were of your age. That was a time when all fundamentals, a sense of democracy, capsized in times of distress. People look up to judiciary. Nine High Courts in the country gloriously defined that emergency or no emergency, people have fundamental rights. There is access to justice system. Unfortunately, Supreme Court overturned all the Nine High courts and gave a judgement which will be the darkest in the history of any judicial institution in the world that believes in rule of law. The decision was, it is the will of the executive to have emergency for as much time as it thinks fit. Secondly, during emergency there are no fundamental rights so the judgement of the Supreme Court legitimised dictatorship, authoritarianism, despotism in this land Bharat, the oldest and now most vibrant democracy.

You therefore have to remember it because you were not there. I was there, some of them were there. Therefore the government thought very wisely and a notification was issued on July 11, 2024 and that was it. For a valid reason we were having 75th year of our republic. We became independent in 1947. The 75th came earlier but we became a republic so we were starting that adoption of the Indian Constitution 75th year. And this day was declared officially by a gadget notification on July 11, 2024 that June 25th will be ‘Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas’ and this is to make this event as a sombre reminder that we have to be ourselves guardians and watchdogs of democratic values.

I urge all of you to carefully spend time. One homework was fundamental duties. Second is please learn everything you can about emergency then you will come to know price of democracy. Always remember learning never stops. Always remember the concept of failure is a myth so is the fear of failure. If you read and I can tell you I keep on telling first let us have a look at our Vedas, most have not seen Vedas. Once we have a look at Vedas then we'll find out what is there in Vedas. Once we go to Vedas then we'll find something more fundamental. At that point of time our knowledge extended to astronomy, astrology, final aspects which are emerging now. I wish you the very best in your life, no tension, no stress.

The greatest energy is to be in touch with one another and to be in touch also with your earlier Rajya Sabha Internship Fellows. We will structure it as an organisation which will take you after some time not only to Bharat but to the world outside. The platform I can indicate to you which you are in the process of formulating and the Secretary General is looking into it with very keen interest. You'll get everything on that platform which young minds need about global knowledge resource, your opportunity basket and counselling.

Thank you.

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JK/RC/SM

(Release ID: 2137980)