Question things accepted without thought, find solutions: PM Modi to students

He told the graduating students that “campus life and life outside the campus are vastly different”. The IIT exam, he said, has a set syllabus, but “the exam of life is entirely out of syllabus… life moves quite differently. There is neither a set course nor any question paper. Often, nobody even tells you what the real question was. You have to identify that question all on your own.”

He said life’s challenges need to be broken down into manageable components, much like solving complex laboratory simulations. “If difficulties inevitably come in life, entirely new opportunities will also emerge. You just have to remain alert.”

Modi urged students to help build a self-reliant and developed India. Pointing to the rapid pace of technological change and the emergence of new sectors, he said India’s youth would have opportunities spanning semiconductors, artificial intelligence, space technology, quantum computing, critical minerals, electric mobility and energy storage.

Referring to apprehensions that some had raised on India’s ability to establish domestic production of semiconductors, he said, “Today, production has begun at the first semiconductor unit. I firmly believe that from chips to ships, everything will be made here by your hands”.

He said those who adapt to new challenges will be best placed to succeed. “Today, the world is changing rapidly. Nobody can say what will happen 20-30 years from now… Those who learn, win,” he said.

Referring to the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship, the Research, Development and Innovation Scheme and the Anusandhan National Research Foundation, he called for greater commitment from young researchers to strengthen India’s research ecosystem.

Celebrating the youth of India, Modi said each generation has challenges and a national responsibility. He called upon them to contribute to Viksit Bharat.

“Our country has seen times of slavery when the only goal was freedom. They struggled for long, and today it is their sacrifice that makes us breathe in free India. Our challenges are different and our responsibility too. Whatever you do in the next 25-30 years will contribute to Viksit Bharat…. India is trying to be self-reliant. This is evidence of the strong foundation of Viksit Bharat, and you have to build a grand Viksit Bharat on this foundation,” he said.

Underlining that new sectors are opening up for the future generation, Modi said every nation is just as empowered as its youth. “A new journey for you, the talented youth of the country, is beginning,” he said after conferring awards to the best students chosen by the institute under different categories, and added that he would have liked it if some “daughters” (female students) had also won awards.

He also inaugurated Param Pragya, an artificial intelligence-powered high-performance supercomputing facility at IIT Delhi’s Sonepat campus.