President Pranab Mukherjee today asked the children to find solutions to the country's future problems by working on the mantra of "impatient, innovative and inclusive India" and create a socially equitable, institutionally tolerant and futuristically inclusive society.
Mukherjee, who presented the A P J Abdul Kalam IGNITE Awards to the children who have excelled in their innovations, said, the children should be impatient and persistent to solve social problems.
"'Impatient India, Innovative India and Inclusive India' has to be the mantra for future. This mantra you must chant and internalise. The idea of India that we must work towards is of a socially equitable, institutionally tolerant and futuristically inclusive society," he said at the programme, organised by National Innovation Foundation, which works on grassroot innovations.
Mukherjee also advised the parents that they should not scold the children or accost them when they share some absurd questions or dream about a utopian situation with them.
"We often scold or accost our children when they ask an absurd question or dream a utopia. But have not the most remarkable progress been made by minds that could think ahead, dream big and make what seemed impossible at one time fully realisable," he asked.
Underlining tendencies of some parents to provided instant solutions to their kids, Mukherjee said children should be allowed to develop the habit of thinking on their own.
"Spoon-feeding at every step should be avoided. Well intentioned grooming by elders sometimes restricts the creative impulse of the child.
"Such minds will not add to the start-up revolution which requires unleashing the entrepreneurial potential of our youth. In science and technology, a lot of the progress has been made by questioning prior explanations and connections, and forging new ones," the President said.
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Children from various parts of the country had gathered here and were awarded for their creative and innovative ideas.
The awards were given to school children up to the age of 17 for their innovative and creative ideas.
NIF got more than 50,000 ideas from 458 districts across the nation.
Minister of science and technology Harsh Vardhan and Ministry of women and child development Maneka Gandhi was also present in during the event.
