Children across the country have put eradication of poverty and corruption as some of the goals for India at 100, in their responses to the ‘Postcards to PM’ initiative of the Culture Ministry as a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, according to sources.
The initiative was launched on December 1, 2021 and continued till December 31, with the goal of 75 lakh postcards from students to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The students from Class IV to XII were asked to write about their favourite freedom fighters and unsung heroes from their region and what they wanted India to be in 2047, when it completes 100 years of Independence.
According to sources, the postcards about the children’s vision for 2047 have been digitised and analysed using artificial intelligence to find out what the predominant themes or goals of their writings were. The analysis would be presented as a book and a finale event is planned for the first week of August, where some selected postcards would be read, the sources said. Another source said the students would receive a response from the PM as well.
A total of 1.07 crore postcards had been received in the campaign conducted with the Department of Post and Education Ministry, a source said. The students wrote about employment, environment, education, equality, healthcare, welfare, science and technology, women’s empowerment, hygiene, sanitation, rights and defence, among others, the source said. Students from 64,201 schools had participated.
The Culture Ministry joint secretary in-charge of AKAM, Uma Nanduri, said the campaign was launched to “understand the mood of the nation’s youth as they looked towards their future”.
“In this campaign, more than 75 lakh students from all over India sent postcards to the Prime Minister to share with him their ‘Vision for India in 2047’-100 years after the nation’s Independence. Through these postcards, the young Indian generation has shared their hopes, dreams and anxieties. They have expressed their optimism in the future of the country and its able leadership as well as offered their suggestions for certain facets that need attention for a brighter, more holistic, and prosperous future,” Ms. Nanduri said.
She said the campaign was the first of its kind, where there was communication between the government and young citizens with the focus on listening, rather than just teaching.
“In this mode of interaction, the campaign fosters a strong sense of good citizenship among the youth, recognises the stakeholders in the country’s future, and looks to inculcate a solidarity where each student’s future is closely tied with the country’s vision of 2047,” Ms. Nanduri said.
