Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday urged the youth to take a firm resolve to shun negativism and join the forces of growth, asking them to take the lead in fighting corruption, terrorism, extremism, religious fundamentalism, casteism, and gender discrimination.
Addressing the 10th edition of Chhatra Sansad here, Naidu said that corruption was eating into the vitals of our democracy and called upon them to be at the forefront in eliminating the scourge of corruption and other ills plaguing society.
Naidu also wanted the youth to take an active interest in politics and the affairs of the country and participate in nation-building activities.
Observing that India was the largest democracy, he said that politics was a vehicle for serving the people, bringing about the desired social-economic change, taking the country to new levels of development and strengthening the foundations of democracy.
"This is where young students -- educated and informed citizens -- should engage more to have mengful political participation," he added.
Urging Parliamentarians and others in public life to raise the standards of debate in different forums, Naidu said that Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha and state legislatures in the country should be shining examples in setting standards for people.
"Mantra for a healthy democracy is -- discuss, debate and decide and not disrupt. Agree to disagree and be tolerant of the mandate of the people," he added.
Naidu advised the youth to understand more about India's history, heritage, culture and sacrifices made by freedom fights and national leaders, apart from the radical changes brought out by social reformers.
He asked the youths to enrich their knowledge by studying the debates that took place in the Constituent Assembly as also the speeches delivered by eminent MPs in Parliament from time-to-time.
Touching upon the importance of the Constitution, the Vice President said that everyone should follow constitutional methods to achieve his or her goals and pointed out that the fundamental rights and duties go hand-in-hand.
Describing terrorism as the biggest threat to world peace and humty, the Vice President said that India always believed in peaceful co-existence with all nations and lamented that one of the neighbours was aiding, abetting and funding terror. He asserted that India would not tolerate any outside interference in its internal affairs.
Expressing concern over the rise in non-communicable diseases due to unhealthy dietary habits and changing lifestyles, the Vice President asked the youth shun sedentary lifestyle and adopt healthy food habits.
He wanted youth to take lead in transforming programs such as the Beti Bachao scheme, other initiatives like Swachh Bharat, Yoga, Fitness India, water conservation and Per Drop More Crop into national movements.
( With inputs from ANI )