MOTIHARI (Bihar), Dec 7 : Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday asserted that an eight-fold rise in per capita income needs to be achieved to realise the goal of “Viksit Bharat” (developed India) by the year 2047.
Addressing the second convocation ceremony of Mahatma Gandhi Central University in Bihar’s Motihari, he also expressed hope that the country, which was currently the “fifth largest economy” in the world, would “soon leave Germany and Japan behind”.
Lavishing praise on the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, without taking any names, Dhankhar said, “The last 10 years have been marked by eradication of a culture of corruption and middlemen seem to have been eliminated”.
“The world looks at us with surprise as we keep marching towards getting our due place on the global stage. We are the fifth-largest economy as of now, but things are looking up. Soon we will leave Germany and Japan behind,” said the Vice President.
Urging “young boys and girls” to think out of the box, the Vice President called upon educational institutions to hold workshops where students could learn about “limitless opportunities” that awaited them, thanks to “easy access to capital and positive policies of the government”.
He also reminded the students that once they have made their mark in their chosen fields they must give something back to their alma mater, and came out with the suggestion of monthly contributions through alumni associations.
“The contributions can be monthly or annually. It does not matter whether, at the outset, you can contribute Rs 10 or Rs 10,000. Your capacity will increase over time. But keep this in mind that all the leading institutions of the world depend heavily on their alumni associations,” said Dhankhar.
He was speaking in presence of Bihar Governor Rajendra Arlekar and local MP and former union minister Radha Mohan Singh.
Dhankhar also spoke of the role of technology in making essential services available to common people of the country where “senior citizens still remember the hardships that they had to endure for paying electricity bills or getting a passport.”
He, however, pointed out that the nation needs to cover a lot of ground if the goal of “Viksit Bharat” is realized by the time 100 years of Independence is celebrated in 2047.
“I am not likely to live to see that day,” said the 74-year-old Vice President, adding: “The onus is on young people like the students present here. We must strive to raise the per capita income to eight times of what it is today. This would require our youth to make sacrifices.”
He also favoured reducing the dependence on imports, saying, “We must not spend our foreign exchange reserves on items like shirts, candles and curtains which can be produced on our own soil, providing jobs to so many people”.
Dhankhar also spoke of the progress made in Bihar under the Chief Ministership of Nitish Kumar, who was not present on the occasion.
Without mentioning the JD(U) supremo by name, the Vice President said, “I was an MP when your current CM was a Union minister. So much has been achieved in the state under his stewardship. He has drawn lessons from our past in which we saw grim episodes like the country’s gold reserves being pledged”.
The allusion was to the Prime Ministership of late Chandra Shekhar in 1990 when, in the wake of a severe financial crisis, the Reserve Bank of India had to pledge several tonnes of gold with foreign banks to raise loans.
Dhankhar also lauded the state’s improved law and order situation, observing it is not a small feat.
“It seems that the glow of Nalanda, the ancient seat of learning (in present-day Bihar), is back,” he said.
Earlier, the Vice President planted a sapling in memory of his deceased mother as part of “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam (One tree for mother)” drive.
At the convocation ceremony, he said, “People must not be sceptical of the impact their individual efforts could have. Consider this Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign and imagine how much difference it could make to our environment if all 140 crore people plant just one sapling each”. (PTI)
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