Cautioning the youth, President Pranab Mukherjee said job opportunities in abroad would become fewer view of the creeping protectionism tendencies.
Delivering the Convocation address at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru on Wednesday Pranab said currently only two countries were restricting the entry of Indian talent and in future their (countries) number will increase.
The President highlighted the need for enhancing basic and fundamental research in the country and also underscored the requirement of upskilling the huge Indian youth population so that the country could take demographic dividend.
He said, “50 per cent of the Indian population would be under 27 by 2030 and the country should reap demographic dividend by taking proper steps and actions to skill them in a swift pace, else they will be rendered demographic liabilities.’’ “If we do not provide the necessary inputs to improve the skills and employability, there will be an explosive situation in the country,’’ he cautioned. The President stressed on the need for enhancing investments both in the academic institutions and in industries for basic and fundamental scientific research in the country.
“We had neglected it for too long’,’ said the President, adding that the country could make further progress only if provided greater attention to basic research and innovation.
Pranab said the country does not enjoy the benefit it had in the early days of IT revolution, as it had the necessary skill sets in abundance, but the situation was changing fast now.
Pranab Mukherejee who is demitting office later this month said his visit to IISc today would be the last he would be making to the central institute of higher learning for which he was the Visitor. Mukherjee also lamented the lack of quality teaching staff in the country and said this could pose a problem in the future and stressed the need to correct the situation. There was need for inspired teachers who could motivate and influence the students and be an example.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah called upon the students graduating to take a pledge to work towards making the world a better place. “We confront many challenges today - both global and local: poverty, climate change, disease, to name a few. It is up to you, my young friends, to be soldiers on the front lines of these battles. These are battles that we cannot afford to lose,” he added.
Stating that tools of science will be crucial as to combat threats, he said that science alone cannot address all the problems. “ You will need to be more than just scientists and engineers. You will also need to be humanitarians.”