Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday said that youth are not only the future of the country but also the present.
In his address at the valedictory session of the eighth Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (India Region) Conference, Birla said that the youth, with their energy, potential and innovative thinking are capable of bringing positive changes in society and meaningful solutions for the future.
"It is the responsibility of democratic institutions to ensure active participation of youth and women in policymaking and legislative processes and to make maximum use of them for the development of the country," he said.
Further, the Lok Sabha Speaker talked about the outcome here and said that the deliberations that have taken place during the Conference will prove to be useful not only for India but for the entire Commonwealth Parliamentary Association fraternity.
"Such conferences play an important role in establishing sound democratic traditions and parliamentary systems and procedures in our legislative bodies and in sharing best practices amongst various legislatures," he noted.
He also said that our policies and programmes should be youth-centric to reap the demographic dividend.
"Education and training in modern technology should be provided to the youth across India, including rural India. They should also be encouraged to take up sports so that their overall personality is developed," Birla said.
Referring to Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Lok Sabha Speaker said that India's plans and programmes should be designed to ensure that by the centennial year of Independence, India leads the world, economically, politically and culturally.
"It is for harnessing the potential of all sections of society for the overall progress of the nation," Birla said.
( With inputs from ANI )
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