The Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that he salute the valour, commitment and contribution of Sikhs to the humanity especially in the contemporary tempestuous times of mistrust, prejudice and intolerance. He was addressing the gathering after releasing the book ‘Prominent Sikhs of India’, authored by Dr. Prabhleen Singh and published by Paunjab University, here today.The Vice President said that the Book highlights the achievements of 50 living Sikh legends from various walks of life and it is a fitting tribute to the founder of Sikhism Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji.The Vice President said that Guru Nanak Ji had made immense contribution to this great nation with his commitment to serve the poorest of the poor, irrespective of cast creed and religion. He had laid foundation to build a society whose primary duty lies in serving the people and participating in nation-building, he said. Sikhs have always shielded the nation whenever the need arose, he added.
The Vice President said that India’s economy is growing at a much faster rate than many major economies of the world as he called for united efforts face challenges existing in the growth trajectory. We need to convert them into opportunities and take steps to sustain the momentum, he said. Here our youth, who constitute around 65 per cent of our population can act as the agents of change and lead the nation to new heights, he added. The Vice President said that the youth must draw inspiration from the life and stories of great leaders who have made their mark. It is our essential duty to motivate the youth to stay put in the nation and contribute to development, he added. The Vice President stressed the need to impart employable skills in youth realise their power and achieve the demographic dividend adding that such efforts instill confidence in youth and encourage them to make good use of the reform agenda of the nation and take part in developmental process. Our youth must move in a direction where they can become job creators instead of job seekers, he said.More than 100 distinguished Sikhs and others were present on the occasion.