Hyderabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao urged Indian youth to move beyond being job-seekers and evolve into job creators, urging them to embrace entrepreneurship, innovation and bold thinking. Participating in a fireside chat at Columbia University in New York on Monday, KTR shared his insights on India’s economic trajectory, AI, entrepreneurship, unemployment, and the evolving global job landscape. The interaction followed his address at the Columbia Business School annual conference, where he engaged with students, academicians and members of the Indian diaspora.Speaking on India’s startup ecosystem, KTR described Hyderabad as a model of success. He explained that the city’s growth as an innovation hub is driven by a strong ecosystem comprising incubators, co-working spaces, mentors and investors, which has led to the emergence of several unicorn startups.He stated that fostering entrepreneurship requires more than policies, it demands a comprehensive and collaborative ecosystem that nurtures innovation at scale. On the impact of AI, KTR warned that millions of jobs are likely to be affected in the coming years. “The threat from AI is real and imminent. Govts and societies are not fully prepared for this transition,” he said. He urged young people to continuously upgrade their skills and adapt to changing technologies in order to stay relevant and seize emerging opportunities. Referring to recent global layoffs, including those in major tech companies, KTR observed that there is an urgent need to prepare for an AI-driven future. He described India’s large youth population as both a strength and a challenge, adding that unemployment cannot be addressed merely by creating opportunities but requires building a skilled workforce aligned with industry needs, he said.KTR called for a mindset shift among youth, encouraging them to become entrepreneurs and job creators rather than relying solely on employment opportunities. He highlighted vast opportunities in public-private partnerships (PPP), particularly in sectors such as infrastructure, industrial development, logistics, clean energy, life sciences, textiles and food processing. He stated that India offers a strong platform for investments and innovation, especially in building large-scale industrial and infrastructure ecosystems. KTR emphasised that, over the past decade, India has made remarkable progress in building strong physical and digital infrastructure. He said that India has been ahead of many developed nations in adopting telecommunications technologies such as 3G, 4G and 5G. However, he added that India is now at a critical juncture and no longer has the luxury of ‘copy-pasting’ development models from other countries. He stressed the need for original thinking and innovation-driven growth.
