President Kovind: Project self-employment as respectable profession

Ram Nath KovindPresident Ram Nath Kovind today said the government and NGOs should project selfemployment as a respectable profession and also urged young Indians to generate employment instead of seeking jobs He said it was very important for the country and the society to strengthen economic democracy through entrepreneurship People should take up selfemployment not due to compulsion but because they choose to Many programmes such as the Mudra Yojana Startup India and Stand Up India are helping the youth in empowerment to make them job givers instead of job seekers he saidThe president was speaking at the inauguration of the Economic Democracy Conclave organised by the Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini a charitable organisation linked to the RSS located in neighbouring Thane district He said the political democracy cannot be strong in the absence of economic and social democracy Improvement in the economic condition of deprived sections is imperative Kovind saidHe said many initiatives were taken up in the country with the aim of Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas and Sabka Samman Sabka Utthan These have a singular goal of strengthening economic and social democracy The idea behind these programmes is that if anyone has to really help someone then heshe should be made financially selfreliant he said The president said the promotion of an entrepreneurial culture in the country was not the sole responsibility of the governmentFamily educational institutions private sector banks entrepreneurs NGOs etc all have the responsibility to create an environment where private enterprise is encouraged Together we should create a culture in which selfemployment is not chosen just due to the compulsion of not getting a job The idea of becoming a jobgiver instead of jobseeker should be embraced he saidGovernment departments NGOs and semigovernment bodies should push for a culture where selfemployment is seen as a respectable profession he said It should be encouraged The decision of opting for selfemployment should not be based on some compulsion but one should choose it Kovind said He said an important outcome of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana was that out of 30 crore new bank accounts more than 50 per cent were opened by womenIt is a welcome step and an empowering development for working women the president said Later in the day Kovind addressed the Gratitude Day function at the Global Vipassana Pagoda at Gorai in suburban Borivali here The day commemorates the death anniversary of Sayagyi U Ba Khin a renowned Vipassana teacher from Myanmar and the pagoda is built as a token of gratitude to himOn the occasion the president observed that the message of Lord Buddha was essential for the society to move from violence towards mercy For the sake of humanity we need to move from violence towards mercy and therefore it is essential to expand the message of Lord Buddha in society Vipassana helps us in teaching such messages and principles to the people he said while addressing the audience Kovind said Maharashtra was famous for several achievements but it got wider recognition from its centres of faith and traditionThe caves of Ajanta that attract tourists from across the world are an example he said Underlining the benefits of Vipassana Kovind said it helps improve concentration students can get better marks in exams Government officials and sportsmen can also perform well as Vipassana has great impact on the mind body and at the spiritual level he saidKovind praised the Maharashtra government for encouraging its employees to undertake Vipassana courses Earlier in the programme Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis paid rich tribute to Sayagyi U Ba Khin Satyanarayan Goenka and Elaichi Devi Goenka for their outstanding contribution in reviving Vipassana in the countryCatch up on all the latest Mumbai National and International news hereDownload the new midday Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go