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Budget 2016: Alluding to the presentation of the Union budget 2016-17, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday observed that he too was to appear for an exam and exhorted students appearing in the coming board examinations to maintain a positive approach. Cricket great Sachin Tendulkar – who along with chess ace Vishwanathan Anand, religious preacher Morari Bapu and renowned scientist C.N.R. Rao were the guest speakers on Modi's 17th edition of 'Mann Ki Baat' aired on All India Radio on Sunday — also exhorted youngsters to maintain a positive approach. While Anand advised students to stay calm, Rao told them never to give up.
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Budget 2016: However, the prime minister maintained silence on the controversies surrounding the Jawaharlal Nehru University row and Hyderabad University research scholar Rohith Vemula's suicide, besides other issues that have led to uproar in parliament. "I have to appear for an exam tomorrow (Monday). The 1.25 billion Indians will be taking my exam," Modi said.
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Budget 2016: "You must have noticed that I am healthy, confident… tomorrow, I will give my exam, and your exams will start the day after. If we succeed, the country will succeed," he said. Modi advised students appearing in the board exams to remain positive, and not to come under pressure of expectations of others. "Do not get burdened under the expectations of others. Set your own targets. Why should we compete with others? Why not compete with oneself? Break your own previous record."
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Budget 2016: Sachin Tendulkar said: "Positive thoughts will be followed by positive results. I would say that you must set a target for yourself and do not come under the pressure of someone else's expectations. Work hard, but set a realistic achievable target for yourself," the batting legend said.
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Budget 2016: Vishwanathan Anand said the problems of board exams were much like the challenges one faced later in life. "Exams are very much like problems you face later in life… the most important thing is to stay calm. It is very much like a game of chess," the five-time World Chess champion said. “If you stay calm and you are well nourished and have slept well, then you will find that your brain recalls the right answer at the right moment. So stay calm. It is very important not to put too much pressure on yourself," he said.
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Narendra Modi added that the government's emphasis is not just on "highways, but on I-ways (Information ways) and railways". Normally, governments are in the habit of doing incremental work only, but the approach of the current one is different, Modi asserted, adding that it is driven by long-term growth and is working to satisfy the long-felt aspirations of people.
