Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman addressing the Special Plenary Session of YiFi 2026 in Madurai on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: G. MOORTHY
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday urged the youth to overcome hesitation and take risks, as they are well-equipped to do so. Speaking at the Special Plenary Session of YiFi 2026, a two-day national financial entrepreneurship summit organised by CII’s Young Indians (Yi) in Madurai, she said: “If you don’t move now, you are going to drown, but if you move and move with some kind of guidance, you’ll make the best out of the changing times.”
“India is the fastest-growing major economy purely because of entrepreneurs and the citizens. We are projected to contribute one-sixth of the global growth over the coming years. With the bright entrepreneurs it can be one-fourth. We can do it,” she said. “We have the largest pool of the youngest workforce anywhere in the world. More than 2.4 lakh DPIIT-recognised start-ups have generated over 23 lakh jobs in the country, and it is the third largest ecosystem for start-ups. We have 2,100 global capability centres and now even going to Tier I and Tier II cities, beyond the metros. Our digital public infrastructure has become an international benchmark,” she said.
