Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 1 (ANI): Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday called upon the student community to think out-of-the-box and come up with innovative solutions to the country's developmental challenges.

"Innovative thinking is in our DNA. We only have to activate it", he said while also calling students as warriors, who will shape the destiny of India in 2047.

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Referring to the various indicators such as the Global Innovation Index, Dhankhar pointed out "we have jumped by 40 positions and this is reflected in research and filling of patents". He also added that India has the third largest startup ecosystem with over 80,000 startups and third highest unicorns in the world.

The Vice President was addressing the student community after inaugurating the 'Centre for Innovation' facility at IIT Madras in Chennai on Tuesday. Praising IIT Madras as an 'institute of excellence and one of the top innovative institutions in the country', Dhankhar also lauded the rich biodiversity on its campus.

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Noting that India's rise is unstoppable despite the global headwinds, the Vice President said that Bharat is a land of opportunity and a global destination for investment. Expressing confidence that India will be the third largest economy in the world by the turn of the decade, he underlined, 'when India speaks now, the world listens'.

Acknowledging that institutions 'grow on the shoulders of their alumni', Dhankhar called for a mechanism for the structured evolution of alumni in all institutions. Such an alumni confederation would create an unprecedented 'think tank' with the potential to change the world for the better, he added.

Emphasizing the role of citizens in ensuring the accountability of their Parliamentary representatives, the Vice President urged the youth to raise their voices in support of responsible actions and authentic information exchange in the House. He appealed to them to 'help generate an ecosystem so that the sanctity of temples of democracy is not outraged'.

During the event, the Vice President also interacted with students and took a tour of the various projects at the Centre for Innovation facility. He said that ideas generated by such bright minds hold the potential to change the nation.

Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister, Thiru K Ponmudi, Prof. V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, V Shankar, Benefactor, The New Centre for Innovation Facility, faculty members, students and other dignitaries were present. (ANI)

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