By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: Every Odia person has to understand their responsibility to realize the dream of a developed Odisha by 2036. We have to take one step forward to free Odisha from malnutrition, ban single-use plastic, and plant trees on a large scale. When we understand our responsibility properly, then through a developed Odisha, the dream of a developed India can be realized and everyone’s rights can be fulfilled, said Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Shri Pradhan interacted with the youth representatives of Odisha who have been selected for the ‘Developed India Young Leaders Dialogue – 2026’ in New Delhi. He said that the real purpose of the Developed India Dialogue is to bring their hidden talents to the fore and to transform ‘forests into native flowers’. In response to the questions of the participants during the discussion, Shri Pradhan said that the National Education Policy has been implemented in our country with the aim of bringing about a big change in the education system. This policy is not only creating equal opportunities for children in cities but also in rural areas. The biggest strength of this new education policy is technology.
In today’s AI era, language will no longer be a barrier. The complex subject matter that is being taught in English at IIT Madras can be converted into our mother tongue with the help of AI. This means that in the coming days, a student from Rairangpur or Koraput will also be able to get world-class education in his own language. Pratyush Kumar, an Odia boy, co-founder of ‘Sarvam’, which works in the field of AI, has made Odisha proud.
Shri Pradhan said, for years we were stuck in the Macaulay-inspired education system, where only degrees were recognized. But today, under the leadership of the Prime Minister, we are giving priority to ‘skills over degrees’. Right from the school level, children can take up coding, music, sports or technical education as per their interest. He said that the introduction of sports quota in prestigious educational institutions like IITs is a groundbreaking step in our education system.
As our country is moving towards a knowledge-based economy, we need to prepare the children of the new generation to be able to work in the modern world. It is not our duty to employ them, but to make them employers. 100 Cubes is one of them. Shri Pradhan opined that the estimated cost of each of the 100 startups to be established in 2036, when the centenary of the Odisha language is celebrated, will be Rs. 100 crore.
