A group of students from Indian Institute of Democratic Leadership (IIDL), Maharashtra, met the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh here today. The group included 18 students from 10 states belonging to the Post-Graduate programme in Leadership, Politics and Governance. This is the second batch of students from the institute. The first batch of 32 students had called on the Minister in March last year. The students shared their experiences of interaction with leaders of various political parties.While interacting with the students, Dr Jitendra Singh said the youth will play a decisive role in the future roadmap of the country and in the making of ‘New India’. They will play important role in all spheres, including political, economic and social areas, he added. He said that the Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has taken various initiatives for the development of youth. The Minister added that the youth have been inspired to take part in the decision making process in the democratic set up, which he termed as a watershed moment for the country. Dr Singh said that 65% of the Indian population is below the age of 35 years, so addressing their aspirations and channelizing their energy in the right direction is very important.Dr Jitendra Singh also spoke about the role of Government in addressing the development issues in the North East Region of India and Jammu & Kashmir. He said that various schemes have been launched by the Government to benefit the youth of these regions. He mentioned about Start-up India, Stand-up India programme of the Government, among others.He added that due to the increasing internet connectivity in the recent times, youth in today’s world are more aware about the developments around them and have the advantage of this informed era as compared to their previous generations. He also appreciated that the youth should go on field visits and understand the problems/issues concerned with their areas.He encouraged the organisers to take feedback from the previous batch and make the necessary modifications in the curriculum. The Minister said that it is important to have an understanding of different ideologies, which comes with exposure to diversified groups.