PM Modi says youth at forefront of nation-building, urges Gen Z to take resolve to free nation from 'slave mindset'

PM Narendra Modi addressing the concluding session of Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2026. (Courtesy: PMO)

• PM Modi urges youth to break free from colonial mindset for nation-building
• He emphasizes youth's role in India's growth before 2047 independence centenary
• PM Modi stressed that self-confidence is essential for a country to be self-reliant and developed

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has underscored the role of youth power in driving nation-building and shaping the wide-ranging reforms undertaken by the government over the past decade. Praising them for their creativity, he urged the youth to break free from what he described as a lingering 'slave mindset'.

PM Modi stressed that the period leading up to 2047, when India marks 100 years of independence, is a decisive phase for both the nation and its youth.

"The journey to 2047, when we complete 100 years of independence, is important for India. This is the time which will be the most important in your lives as well. This is a golden opportunity for you. Your capability will become the capability of India. Your success will take India's success to new heights," he said on Monday.

The Prime Minister was addressing the concluding session of Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2026 in New Delhi.

Recalling the timey when he took oath as Gujarat Chief Minister, Modi said, "When I first took oath as Chief Minister, many of you here might not even have been born. When I took the oath as Prime Minister in 2014, most of you were still children. But whether as Chief Minister then or as Prime Minister now, I have always had great faith in the youth of our country".

Expressing satisfaction over the rapid growth of the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue, PM Modi described it as a powerful platform enabling direct youth participation in shaping India's development agenda. "The association of crores of young people with this initiative, more than 5 million registrations, over 3 million youths participating in the Viksit Bharat Challenge, and sharing their ideas for the nation’s development, such large-scale engagement of youth power is unprecedented," he said.

The Prime Minister also underlined the creativity and innovative spirit of India's Gen Z and congratulated all young participants and members of the Mera Yuva Bharat organization for the successful conduct of the dialogue.

PM Modi stressed that self-confidence is essential for a country to be self-reliant and developed. Referring to Macaulay's colonial-era education policies, he noted that they instilled a sense of inferiority among Indians toward their own heritage, products, and capabilities.

Calling upon India's youth to resolve collectively to overcome this mindset, the PM said, "In ten years, it will mark 200 years since Macaulay's audacious policies, and therefore, every young person in the country must resolve to free India from this mentality."