The Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that skill development is an important area in which NGOs and voluntary bodies must step up their activities to meet the growing requirement of vocational training and enable youth to find gainful employment or become entrepreneurs. He was addressing the gathering after giving away the ‘Rashtra Sewa Awards’ constituted by the Krishna Foundation, here today. The Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Dr. P.J. Kurien and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.The Vice President said that Krishna Foundation has chosen poet and writer, Shri P. Parameswaran and Philanthropist and businessman, Shri Yusuff Ali for presenting Rashtra Sewa Awards in recognition of their services to the nation. The Foundation is also giving financial assistance to 20 school students belonging to weaker sections, he added.The Vice President said that even 70 years after Independence, the country is grappling with many social evils like poverty, corruption, illiteracy, terrorism, religious fundamentalism, atrocities on weaker sections and gender discrimination.
He further said that while the governments are doing their best to overcome the challenges on various fronts, the efforts of NGOs and voluntary organizations will go a long way in supplementing the measures taken by the governments.The Vice President said that the NGOs all over the country that are working dedicatedly in different sectors - be it eradicating poverty, illiteracy, women’s empowerment, tackling the menace of child trafficking, drug and alcohol addiction or imparting skills to youngsters. He further said that for a country as large and as populous as India, more such dedicated organizations should step into the arena of social service. “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”, said the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, he added.The Vice President said that organizations like the Krishna Foundation can make a meaningful difference to the lives of the poor and downtrodden. About 65 per cent population below 35 years, the nation must fully take advantage of this huge demographic dividend, he added.