Panaji, December 17: “Vedas speak of equality, universal peace, tolerance, non-violence, welfare and brotherhood and there is nobody superior or inferior, according to the Vedas. Answers for many problems facing the world can be found in the Vedas, which provide us with the guidance needed to achieve moral, economic, social and political development,” This was said by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu while addressing the gathering after giving away Swarajya Awards 2017.
Notably, Swarajya Awards 2017 was organized by India Ideas Conclave 2017, in Panaji, Goa on Saturday. On this occasion, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu said that recognizing talent and merit has been part of India’s culture and traditions and presenting these types of awards provide inspiration to others.
VP Naidu said that there is an abundance of talent, which has to be encouraged, promoted and duly recognized in all walks of life and India in ancient times controlled more than one-third of global wealth and about two centuries ago, the country’s GDP was 27 percent of the world GDP.
He further said that India is set to become the fastest growing large economy again and only the other day, the UN’s World Economic Situation Report projected India’s GDP to grow at 7.2 percent in 2018 and 7.4 percent in 2019. It said that the outlook for India remained largely positive, underpinned by robust private consumption and public investment as also due to the ongoing structural reforms, he added.
The Vice President said that India was known as ‘Vishwaguru’ and savants and knowledge-seekers from all over the world used to come here to study at Universities like Nalanda, Takshashila, Vikramshila, Pushpagiri and Valabhi.
VP Naidu further said that the Vedas speak of equality, universal peace, tolerance, non-violence, welfare and brotherhood and there is nobody superior or inferior, according to the Vedas. Answers for many problems facing the world can be found in the Vedas, which provide us with the guidance needed to achieve moral, economic, social and political development, he added.
Venkaiah Naidu, in the end, said that history shows that India was never an aggressor and always was the victim of invasions and India and its peace-loving people always believed in “Sarve Jana Sukhino Bhavanthu” reflecting the age-old cultural ethos of this country. He also noted that every one of us must feel proud of having inherited such a glorious and pacifist past. “The time has now come for us to build a New India, which shall again take its rightful place in the comity of nations,” he concluded.
Interestingly, the Chief Minister of Goa, Manohar Parrikar, the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Jayant Sinha and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.