SUMMARY
India is one of the youngest nations with the second largest startup ecosystem
Indian youth have the ability to influence policy making in the country
Young Indians are overcoming challenges and shining bright in all walks of life
India’s startup ecosystem is brimming with young minds, with the median age of founder-entrepreneurs being 31 years, a youth delegate representing India said in a United Nations event held in New York.
Seema Punjani was speaking at an interactive round-table on ‘Looking to the Future: A dialogue on the High-level Political Forum (SDG) Summit.
Indian youth “are overcoming challenges and shining bright in all walks of life,” she reportedly said. India is one of the youngest nations with second largest startup ecosystem in the world.
“The median age of founders of these enterprises is only 31 years. Youth in India are also behind forging new alliances and partnerships across the government, civil society, business and academia which are critical for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” she mentioned.
Young Indians are overcoming challenges and shining bright in all walks of life, she said during the round-table.
“Be they athletes like Dipa Karmakar and Hima Das or countless young entrepreneurs, artists, authors, engineers, doctors, lawyers and civil servants, India’s young population is scripting remarkable success stories and making confident strides into the future,” the youth delegate said.
“Youth empowerment and inclusive social development are at the heart of flagship programmes of the government of India that seek to target gender equality, increased access to financial services, digital connectivity, skill development and higher education, universal health coverage, sanitation and housing for all,” she further added.
She pointed out that even as individual countries are making their own effort towards resource mobilisation and capacity building, international political commitment in those areas is a prerequisite for a holistic development of the young minds.
“This is an integral part of 2030 Agenda. We hope that collectively we can make the right choices in realising full potential of today’s youth and ensuring sustainable future for all,” she mentioned.
