NEW DELHI, Dec 18 :
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday stressed that India has always ensured ”a fair and impartial” approach to its minorities and ”inclusion and non-discrimination have been our country’s non-negotiable articles of faith”.
Rejecting false claims being made by certain quarters, the Vice President said India has always been completely committed to protecting the rights of its minorities. ”Minorities have been equal partners in India’s quest for growth and development,” he told students from Stanford Graduate School of Business.
He spoke of stalwarts belonging to minority communities like former Presidents Dr Zakir Hussain, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed and Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, who have occupied high constitutional, administrative, judicial and armed forces positions.
He also referred to the fascinating growth story being written by India. Highlighting the various reforms undertaken by the government to strengthen the economy, Mr Naidu asserted that India’s economy is ”robust and resilient.”
”India’s economy is at its radiant best. The world is looking at India as a favoured investment destination,” he added. Speaking of India’s soft power and its rising prominence in the world order, Mr Naidu said India is contributing much more in international forums and is forever reaching out and seeking partnerships.
He told the students that young people like them were the conduits through which partnerships of the future would be forged. He added that he was an ardent believer in the power and potential of the youth and in their capacity to transform the world.
Mr Naidu advised the business leaders of tomorrow to keep a few things in mind, to always keep apart a portion of their company’s profits, to help those who are less fortunate than themselves, to be mindful of the ecological footprints they leave, to relentlessly focus on innovation and to always be ethical.
”Your businesses should have a human face,” he advised the students. Expounding on the significant milestones India has achieved in social justice and inclusion, he said India has implemented strong social security measures and comprehensive insurance schemes and that all its citizens were being brought under the banking net.
”We strive to protect and empower girl children, to improve women’s education and employment opportunities and to promote entrepreneurship among women,” he added.
As a thriving, vibrant democracy, he said, India has demonstrated by the dramatic increase in the number of voters in every successive election. The Vice President underlined that India has never tried to conquer or subjugate any other country.
