From the pressing need to focus on education to turning the nation into a safe space for women, the youth who engaged in The Hindu ‘Vision for India 2040’ debate had an array of suggestions for the future, on what the emphasis should be and what transformations they wish to see in the next two decades.
Amrit Mahapatra from Puri, Odisha, spoke about how the digital penetration across the country that stands at 50% now, must significantly improve so that in times of distress like the current pandemic, some of the important benefits could reach everyone quickly.
“We need to have a comprehensive national climate policy that not only emphasises on transitioning smoothly into a cleaner future but also creates green jobs. It has to be a people centric approach that includes and prioritises indigenous communities as well as refrains from mindless construction of dams and reservoirs in ecologically fragile regions, say, such as the Himalayas. In terms of social security and healthcare we need to have a universal healthcare policy in which we spend at least 5% of the GDP,” he said.
Mr. Mahapatra also noted how there is an urgent need to restrict the scope of contentious and ambiguous laws such as the sedition law, National Security Act, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act which has a chilling effect on the right to free speech. “There should be a complete overhaul of the police system with a gender sensitive approach embedded in it. The Centre recently in a reply to Parliament said that over 350 plus people have died in police custody over the years and it is a number that should worry all of us equally,” he added.
Naman Arya from Nainital said the nation should invest in research and development and that will translate into a better future for its people.
“If we focus on more on higher education then there will be more inventions which can change humankind. Also, the discrimination that is present in our society based on caste and religion has resulted in our downfall and passed on from one generation into another. We have to break this vicious cycle,” he added.
Likhitha Kaki from Hyderabad elaborated on the need to tap into the right opportunities to build a sustainable future.
Suhasini Haidar, Diplomatic Affairs Editor, The Hindu, moderated the event.
Mahak Raghuvanshi, Shubham Bhonsle, Om Kumar, Syed Saddique Hussain, Sapnil Kumar Patel, Shivam Tandon, Amit Kumar Samantara, Anmol Srivastava, Rajat Shukla, Rashna Doley, Akhilesh Singi, Sahil Chauhan were among those who spoke at the debate.
