Prime Minister Narendra Modi directly interacted with the Gen-Z youth of the country through the ‘Khelo India Samvad’ program. A large number of students participated in the event, while PM Modi joined virtually and addressed the young participants on sports, innovation, competition and the role of youth in building a developed India.
During his interaction with Gen-Z, PM Modi stressed on creative thinking among the youth. He said that new ideas and thinking should continuously emerge in the minds of the youth of the country. When youth use their imagination and energy in new areas, it also contributes to the progress of the country.
The Prime Minister linked sports to the challenges of life and said that players have to face both victory and defeat on the field. He said that getting up again after falling and continuing efforts is the biggest lesson of the game.
PM Modi said that sports not only teaches people to become champions but also teaches them to become better competitors. According to him, sports help individuals to understand their shortcomings, improve themselves and move forward with new energy after defeat.
He urged the youth to make sports an important part of their lives and said that the confidence gained from sports is useful in education, career and personal life also.
In his address on the occasion of Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also mentioned India’s sports vision highlighted by the Red Fort. He said that sports in India should not be seen only from the perspective of winning medals.
According to PM Modi, bringing together the sports potential and youth power of the country is part of the broader process of building a developed India. Better performance in sports can strengthen India’s identity at the international level and create new opportunities for the youth.
During the programme, the Prime Minister said, ‘Only those who play flourish.’ He linked this idea not only to victory on the field, but also to the development of the individual, family and society.
He said that a player’s success is not limited to the player only. This gives recognition to the player’s family and increases the respect of the school or college. The achievement of a player can strengthen the identity of his district and state at the national and even global level.
PM Modi described sports as an important medium for personality development of youth and said that successful players also carry forward the name of the place from where they started their journey.
Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya also participated in the program. He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, youth and sports have got new priority in India.
Mandaviya said that the youth are being considered as the present and future of the country and they are being linked to the goal of ‘developed India’. According to him, there has been a change in the attitude of seeing sports in India only as entertainment or personal activity and now it is being linked to national priority.