Youth must dream big, discover the power within: Satyarthi

BY Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, July 20: Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi said the youth have the power to bring about changes in the world and to free bonded child labour from the clutches of traffickers.  In this context, he called upon the youth of the State, the country and other tions to join in his ambitious campaign for protecting 100 billion left-out children.

He was delivering the KK Handique Memorial Lecture on the topic “Role of youth in protecting world’s left out children” here in the city.

Exhorting upon the youth to usher in changes in the lives of exploited child laborers, Satyarthi said the youth has to ‘dream big’, ‘discover the power within you’ and ‘act now’ for the good of the world.

The Nobel Laureate called upon universities to bring in innovations to maintain excellence in education. “Education must be qualitative, inclusive and ensure equity. It must bring employability and entrepreneurship,” he said, adding, “Education is empowerment and the fundamental key to human and constitutiol rights.”

Satyarthi underlined the need for the youth to make use of social media to fight for the rights of bonded child laborers and left-out children. “Raise your voice, register your protests and don’t remain silent. Your anger must be ventilated in a constructive and positive manner for protection of bonded child labour and left-out children,” he added.

He also called upon Assam Chief Minister to put in place a mechanism to eble people to inform police and government agencies in case they notice any doubtful persons in places like railway stations, bus stands etc.

Addressing the function, Chief Minister Gogoi, while lauding the role of Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi in freeing tens of thousands of bonded child laborers across the world, said that he had raised the issue of fundamental rights of children, of education, food and shelter in his speech in Parliament way back in 1971.

Gogoi said education plays a pivotal role in resolving the problems of deprivation and exploitation of children, all sorts of conflicts, vis-à-vis man-animal, man-ture, poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, insurgency, and fundamentalism. “Education is the key towards resolving all our problems and in bringing about a turround in all spheres of life,” he said and added that education in essence has to make us better human beings.

The Chief Minister said that the State government has identified the core areas to improve upon the key indices of women and children through the Chief Minister’s Vision for Women and Children 2016.

Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister of State, Sports & Youth Affairs, Sarbanda Sonowal said the country has a huge youth power that can raise India as a force to be reckoned with.

Sonowal urged the authorities of KK Handiqui State Open University to introduce Sports Science and Physical Education as subjects in the curriculum.

Earlier, the welcome address was delivered by Vice Chancellor of Krish Kanta  Handiqui State Open University, Dr. Hitesh Deka. Registrar of the university, RB Mahanta was present on the occasion.