17-02-2025
Nita Ambani calls youth, diaspora as strength of India, and adoption of technology as a greatest opportunity
Nita Ambani, founder and chairperson of the Reliance Foundation, has said the strength of India lies in its large youth population and the diaspora.
Delivering the keynote address at the Harvard India Conference on Indian Business, Policy & Culture, she said the adoption of technologies such as artificial intelligence, green energy, and genomics was a great opportunity for the country. The Reliance chairperson also shared stories from her life about the importance of resources.
When asked to give a SWOT (Strength Weakness Opportunity Threat) analysis of India, she said: "I think our strength is our youth with 50 per cent of our population under the age of 30, and our Indian diaspora. I think that's our strength."
Speaking about the weakness, she said: "I think the 200 or 300 million people lying at the bottom whose life we need to change, and I think that should be our priority and we should be able to sort this out in the next decade."
She noted that the greatest opportunity for the country is the adoption of technology at scale. "Whether it is artificial intelligence, green energy, genomics, I think that's what India will do."
"I speak as a mother here. I think we need peace. We need peace in the world. Only when there is peace will countries grow and prosper, and so that holds true for even India. So I think I think wars do no good. And I would think that is a threat", Nita Ambani said while highlighting about the threat aspect.
Sharing an incident from her life, she said that after getting married she got a gold chain for herself but eventually had to return it so that Reliance employees could be paid. "I bought this gold chain and brought it home, and showed it to Mukesh. Mush looked at me and said, 'Nita, I don't think we can afford it. Reliance is going through really tough times. We need to pay all our employees first. So It would be nice if you can return this gold chain'. I did that without questioning Mukesh. And I told him, 'I'm sure good times will come, and you will turn around the situation', and he did."
Nita Ambani said that this incident taught her the lesson that "adversity should make you a better person and not a bitter person" and she called it a great learning for herself.
