An Interactive Session with Dynamic Leaders, The Lalit, New Delhi 15th July, 2013

YFLO Delhi organized a programme titled Great Expectations on July 15, 2013 at Hotel Lalit, New Delhi. It was an interactive session with dynamic leaders – Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Minister of State, Ministry of HRD; Mr. Naveen Jindal, Member of Parliament and Chairman & Managing Director, Jindal Steel and Power Limited; Ms Vani Tripathi, National Secretary, Bharatiya Janata Party and Namanji, Principal Guide & Advisor, Oneness Movement.

Garima Jain, Chairperson YFLO Delhi, in her welcome address said – “YFLO believes that the youth brigade of India is the building block to a better and developed nation. It is the most powerful resource of the country.” She also added- “The theme of this year for YFLO is Inspiring India and this programme is a platform for us to get inspired by these eminent leaders.”

It was a wonderful opportunity to hear the view of a vibrant panel drawn from varied walks of life and who have been looked upon as the change agents of ‘Inspiring India’. The discussion interlaced a bright picture of young India through their vision, experiences and achievements.

Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Minister of State, Ministry of HRD, while addressing the session, said that there are 4 Es in the Indian education system – Expansion, Equity, Excellence and Employment. He added that expansion is the key. He further said that when India independence, the literacy rate was 17 per cent, we had barely 30 universities in the country. Today the country has a literacy rate of 74 per cent and boasts of 700 universities, with over 33,000 colleges across the country.

Talking about his experience of female empowerment and working at the grassroots level in Haryana, Mr. Naveen Jindal, Member of Parliament and Chairman & Managing Director, Jindal Steel and Power Limited spoke about the cultural realities of inequality and injustice that still exist towards women. He insisted that he could see things changing slowly but surely specially with the empowerment and reservation for women at the panchayat level, zila parishad level etc. However, he believes, the real empowerment will be brought about by the education of the girl child and hence the acute need to promote scholarships and other schemes to incentivize the families. Ms. Vani Tripathi, National Secretary, Bharatiya Janata Party, said that for education to be inclusive, the focus must be on imparting education to the girl child and women. It was necessary to leverage the power of women and policies need to be formulated to facilitate in this endeavor.

Namanji, Principal Guide & Adviser, Oneness Movement, remarked that we demand respect from others when we do not respect ourselves. Women must learn to love and respect themselves and break the shackles imposed on them by society.

Ms. Fatima Karan, Senior Anchor, CNN-IBN, moderated the session.