Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said on Friday that India, with one of the youngest populations in the world, needs to take advantage of this great window of opportunity.

Speaking at a session at Goafest 2018, he said: “India has a great window of opportunity as it has the youngest population and we need to take advantage of this opportunity. The government’s entire focus is on setting up systems and policies to enhance Brand India globally. Investments on infrastructure and electrification as well as the focus on ease of doing business and Skill India, among others, are all steps in this direction.”

Talking about ‘Brand Modi’, he said: “Brands are reliable, have consistency and can add value but at the same time they are commercial so I wouldn’t call him a brand.

“After three decades, we are the single largest party in the country with 22 States under our belt. If the reference of a successful brand is enhancement in sale of products and if we equate it to politics, the voters who stand by the party are a direct evidence of the popularity of the Prime Minister and Brand Modi. He is a phenomenon and incomparable and a thunderbolt from the sky for the opposition.”

He added: “Once brands reach on the top they want to maintain status quo to sustain themselves. However, the Prime Minister believes in change and attacking the status quo.”

Replying to a query on the I & B Ministry’s recent attempt to suspend accreditation of journalists for fake news, which was seen as an attack on the freedom of expression, he said: “In today’s internet age, no news or information can be stopped even if it’s fake. One can only ensure that the correct information is put out in the public domain as quickly as possible.”

He added that the PM overruled the I&B Ministry’s decision and has emphasised that the best way out of fake news is through self-regulation.

(The writer is in Goa at the invitation of the organisers of Goafest 2018 )

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