The Vice President of India, M Venkaiah Naidu today said that corruption is biggest hurdle to inclusive growth and called upon the youth to support those who are fighting to eradicate the malice of corruption from the country.Interacting with public policy students at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Centre for Leadership, Policy, and Governance of the Indian Institute of Management in Ranchi, the Vice President said that corruption deepens inequalities and increases poverty and obstructs the growth prospects of the nation.Asking the youth to take a lead role in fighting corruption, he suggested the use of new technologies to bring transparency and accountability at all levels.Describing the future as digital, Shri Naidu expressed happiness that the government is connecting all Gram Panchayats with high speed broadband under the project – Bharatnet.Emphasising the good governance, Shri Naidu said that there should be no gap between policy intent and policy implementation.“The intended benefits of a program must reach the people in time,” he added.
Calling students as future leaders of the nations, the Vice President asked them to find innovative solutions to country’s problems such as illiteracy, poverty, malnutrition etc.
Shri Naidu called the current slowdown in economy as temporary and exuded confidence that India is well on path to become a five trillion-dollar economy.Lauding the government for bold reforms such as GST, IBC etc., he maintained that these bold reform measures will lead to long term gains for the economy and people.Calling for inclusive growth, the Vice President said that development should reach every person. Only then it has meaning.“Each citizen should feel that he is a stakeholder in development journey of the nation”, he said.
Asking students to become ‘smart leaders’ of tomorrow, Shri Naidu said that the true leadership is characterized by 4Cs – Character, Capacity, Caliber and Conduct.He asked students to innovate and become entrepreneurs of tomorrow. The government has created a very supportive start up ecosystem through various schemes such as Startup India, Standup India, MUDRA etc, he said and asked the youth to take full advantage of it.Asking everyone to use the ‘freedom of speech’ judiciously, the Vice President said that dissent is welcome in democracy but not the disintegration of the country.He also said that Parliamentarians should debate, discuss and decide the things instead of disruption and obstruction in the house.Expressing satisfaction over the media reports indicating the improvement in the functioning of Rajya Sabha, Shri Naidu said that all legislatures should work constructively and productively. Else they risk losing the trust of people, he cautioned them.Shri Naidu said that violence has no place in democracy and the Ballot is more powerful than Bullet. “Everybody should follow rule of law and respect constitution in letter and spirit”, he added.Pointing out that the aim of good governance is to ensure that the fruits of development and governance reach every section, especially those at the lowest rung of the economic and social ladder, the Vice President called for decentralizing powers and responsibilities to local bodies in accordance with the Constitutional provisions.He said that transferring funds, functions, and functionaries to these institutions would bring in governance closer to people and enhance their credibility and effectiveness.
Shri Naidu, while expressing his concern over the increasing urban-rural divide and inequalities in quality healthcare, education and other areas, urged the Centre and States to work with the spirit of Team India to address such challenges.He wanted the bureaucracy and administrative setup to embrace technology, adapt themselves to the changing global trends and make constant changes in accordance with local needs to provide seamless delivery of public services. On the occasion, the Vice President compliment IIM Ranchi for establishing a Policy and Research Center in memory of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee and said that Shri Vajpayee was a role model for all those in public life.He said many such Centres were needed at India’s premier management and technology institutions to nurture professionals in all aspects of governance and public policy. Describing Shri Vajpayee as a true statesman, Shri Naidu said that the late Prime Minister had successfully helmed a multi-party coalition governments and accelerated the pace of reforms and had provided efficient and effective governance. “Atal Ji was a great democrat, an outstanding Parliamentarian, and a great poet,” he added.The Vice President opined that Atal Ji’s vision for the country came out in full bloom in the form of several initiatives for infrastructure development and economic reforms. “He brought connectivity revolution in country through initiatives such as Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana and Golden Quadrilateral” the Vice President added.The Governor of Jharkhand, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, Chairman, IIM Ranchi, Shri. Praveen Shankar Pandya, Director, IIM Ranchi, Prof. Shailendra Singh, Convener-ABVCLPG, IIM Ranchi, Prof. Gaurav M. Marathe, and students and faculty members were present at the event.