The Hindu Business Line : `Yi aims to emerge as voice of young Indians in nation-building'

The Young Indians (Yi) organisation, formed three years ago, is an integral part of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and expects to emerge as a full-fledged youth (below 40) movement in the foreseeable future.

Talking to Business Line here on the sidelines of Yi's first eastern region summit on the theme "India on the rise... Sustaining the momentum through Young Indians", Mr Narayan Sethuramon, National Chairman, Yi, and MD, W.S. Insulators (India) Ltd, said that the broad Yi agenda had been built on the five key areas of national development such as education, healthcare, environment, economy, youth affairs and employability.

The Yi now has 14 chapters and intends to take this figure to 22 this year, besides an international chapter to bring in global young Indians.

He said the vision was to emerge as the "voice of all young Indians", and involve them in shaping the country, as a platform for realising the dream of a developed nation by 2020. According to him, Yi, as an organisation with a membership of 650 as on date, has among its stakeholders the society as a whole, students, Government, Yi executives and managing members.

He said the aim was to take the membership to 1,000 by end of 2006. There is also a plan to form corporate chapters, he added. Yi is also working to forge an Indo-German Young Leaders Forum through the BMW Foundation, on the broad issue of "shared responsibility".

Built on the motto of "We can, we will", Mr Sethuramon said the members of Yi are being sensitised to give back to the nation more than what is owed. He said "on the education front, we plan to educate a million young Indians still untouched by education, and also extend healthcare services to the underprivileged sections.

Earlier, speaking at the inaugural session of the summit, Rajya Sabha MP, Mr B. Jay Panda, appealed to young Indians throughout the country to contribute to the community and society at large through participative action towards a shared vision of "Developed India - 2020".

Seeking special focus on issues of national importance such as infrastructure, health and education to motivate a generational change in the economic and social agenda of the country, Mr Panda, suggested that every young Indian should exercise his right to vote diligently and said there was a great need to "optimise our democracy, as it fosters a better economy in the long term".

He particularly lamented that "we are now spending a bare 3.5 per cent of our GDP on infrastructure compared to 8-9 per cent by China.