NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that the ongoing debate on the “One Nation, One Election” proposal is critical for India’s democratic process and urged youngsters to actively participate in this debate, as it directly impacts their future.
Addressing a National Cadet Corps (NCC) rally at the Cariappa Parade Ground in the national capital, Mr Modi said the youth of India will determine the development of the country and the world in the 21st century.
The Prime Minister highlighted that while India conducts the world’s largest elections, frequent elections every few months pose challenges. He mentioned that initially, the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections were held together, but this pattern changed, causing significant issues for the country.
Mr Modi stated that frequent elections required updating voter lists and involved many tasks, often affecting teachers’ duties, studies, and exam preparations.
“Repeated elections also created governance difficulties and therefore, the country was currently debating the concept of ‘One Nation, One Election’,” he said.
He further mentioned that in countries like the United States, the date for forming a new government is fixed and elections are held every four years. Similarly, he said, in colleges or schools, student council elections are completed in one go.
The PM encouraged the youth to think about the impact of having elections every month on their studies and to engage in the debate.
Mr Modi noted that the youth of India will determine the development of the country and the world in the 21st century. “Indian youth are not only contributing to India’s development but are also a force for global good,” he said.
Citing a recently published report in newspapers, which revealed that in the past decade, Indian youth have created 1.5 lakh startups and over 100 unicorns, the PM added that more than 200 major global companies are led by people of Indian origin, contributing trillions of rupees to the global GDP and helping improve the lives of millions.
