Strengthen idea of secularism to build harmonious society:Prez

The idea of secularism needs to be further strengthened in the minds of young people to build a harmonious society, President Pranab Mukherjee said here today.
Addressing institutes of higher learning and civil service academies, the President stressed on the need for providing "value-based education" to the youth.
"We must inculcate in them the spirit of democratic behaviour which calls for an appreciation of the rich diversity of our nation, assimilation of ideas, and accommodation for divergent or contrarian views.
"The idea of secularism is deeply ingrained in the consciousness of our nation. It has to be further strengthened in the minds of the young ones to build a harmonious society," he said.

The President also spoke about gender equality and said it was important for having an "inclusive society".
"The occurrence of some unfortunate incidents of atrocity and violence against women in recent years should strengthen our resolve to wipe out any trace of depravity and evil from the minds of individuals.

"Respect for women is sacrosanct in our society with its roots embedded in our civilisational values, which are reflected in our Constitution. A spirit of reverence towards women must be instilled in our children in our homes and educational institutions. It must guide social conduct of an individual from an early age," Mukherjee said while addressing them through video conferencing.

He said that "word inclusion" has no meaning until there is a socio-economic equity.
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"What we have to do now is to create enough opportunities through their implementation to meet the ambitions of an aspirational India," the President said.
"The nation which you have to build as bureaucrats, technocrats, scientists, educators, social innovators, thinkers, and agriculturists has to be an India which will ensure a decent and fulfilling life to all its citizens.
"It has to be a swachh India, swasth India, a digitally- empowered India, educated and skilled India, and a tolerant, harmonious and peaceful India where the last person feels a part of the narrative of the country," Mukherjee said.

Citing over six hundred million young population below the age of 25 years in the country, the President said investment in educating the youth, in the sharpening of their mental faculties, technical skills, professional competence, and awareness about their social responsibilities, would be the key to prepare them for nation-building.
He said putting a mobile phone in the hands of a person living in a remote village and teaching him to use it to access information, knowledge and services is a great act of empowerment. It gives true meaning to the word inclusion, Mukherjee said.
He highlighted the government's Start-up India programme to promote start-ups and offer incentives for entrepreneurship and job creation.

The over 4,500 start-ups make India the third largest start-up eco-system in the world. The higher academic institutions have a clear role to play in refining the entrepreneurial abilities of their students. Teaching of entrepreneurial studies as a course in our institutes will be a good beginning, Mukherjee said.