India on the rise as never before, on way to reclaim past glory: VP Dhankhar

India is on the rise as never before and is on the way to reclaim the glory it had enjoyed ages ago, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said here on Thursday.Addressing a gathering at the opening ceremony of a three-day conference on Infrastructure, Information and Innovation for Building New Bharat, he said that after 34 years a revolutionary step has been taken by the introduction of the National Education Policy 2020, and added this policy will be a game-changer.The conference has been organised as part of the centenary celebrations of Delhi University.I congratulate Delhi University for completing 100 years.

India is on the rise as never before and is on the way to ''reclaim the glory'' it had enjoyed ages ago, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said here on Thursday.

Addressing a gathering at the opening ceremony of a three-day conference on 'Infrastructure, Information and Innovation for Building New Bharat', he said that after 34 years a ''revolutionary step'' has been taken by the introduction of the National Education Policy 2020, and added this policy will be a ''game-changer''.

The conference has been organised as part of the centenary celebrations of Delhi University.

''I congratulate Delhi University for completing 100 years. It is a milestone in the journey of any organisation,'' he said.

The vice president said India is ''on the rise as never before'' and the rise of the country is ''unstoppable''.

''We have now more unicorns than in China. Our youngsters are doing miracles. All of this has taken place because there has been a transformation in policy ecosystem. All efforts are being made to ensure that everyone should be able to exploit his or her talent to the optimum level,'' Dhankhar said.

And, this means, ''we are on the way to reclaim the glory'' India enjoyed ages ago, he asserted.

Today it is a matter of pride to be an Indian. ''Anywhere you go, honour of Indian and Indianness is different,'' he said.

''Our leadership, diplomats and our functionaries, they talk only one language, and that is the language which is in the interest of the country. The voice of Indian Prime Minister is heard in world fora more than ever before. All this has come about...because India has a great demographic dividend. The future belongs to the youngsters and they have to shape the destiny of this country. It is their directions, their attitude that will define the course of history,'' he said.

He also hailed various initiatives of the government and mentioned the COVID-19 vaccination drive.

Dhankhar said it troubled him as to why some people ''could not digest the growth story of India, that Bharat is on the rise''.

He cited how India fought against the COVID-19 pandemic when cities like New York and London, and Europe was overburdened with patients.

The vice president said time has come when the youth of the country, especially students, become ''authentic opinion makers''.

On the National Education Policy, he said, ''First time this policy has lent a new dimension to our thinking.'' ''This (NEP) revolutionary step has been taken after 34 years. Inputs have been taken from all stakeholders in the formulation of education policy. For the first time, Indianness has been understood in this policy. The country's talents have been given a chance to shine under this policy by laying emphasis on the mother tongue,'' he noted.

He called upon the students present to show utmost respect towards their elders, their teachers and parents. In a statement, the university said, ''Put your nationality first was his (Dhankhar's) message to the youngsters. Along with enjoying the fundamental rights given in the Constitution, pay attention to the fundamental duties as well. You will find these are very easy to follow, and you will feel happy following them. The future of India is in the hands of the youth, so our country should be identified with the student community.'' Addressing the event, DU Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh said, ''DU has completed 100 years of successful and accomplished journey, and India completed 75 years since Independence. From three colleges which were established before the setting up of DU (in 1922), now it has 90 colleges.'' Also, the number of girls in the university has significantly grown over the decades, he said.

In 1931, there were only 82 girls in the university; 340 in 1941; 1,737 in 1951, and 3,24,067 in 2021. And, today, more than 50 per cent of its students are girls, which is a ''matter of pride,'' the VC said.

This year, admissions were held through Common University Entrance Test (CUET), instead of Plus-2 marks. Many were sceptical, number of girls may get reduced. But, this time, the number of girls admitted has been more than 50 per cent, he said.

The organisers said during the three-day international conference, 500 delegates from across the country will take part. And, 150 research papers have been received.

Besides, thematic sessions will be held on 'Atmanirbhar Bharat', National Education Policy of India 2020, building 'New Bharat', libraries as temples of knowledge.

Former Union minister Vijay Goel said under the leadership of Prime Minster Narendra Modi, cultural and religious sites such as Kashi Vishwanath Dham, Kedarnarth Dham and Mahakal Lok have been revived.