Don’t Preach Innovation, Fund It First: Why Modi’s Call for an Indian Social Media App Rings Hollow
Prime minister Modi recently urged India’s youth to create a homegrown social media app, questioning whether the hurdle is vision or funding. But the reality paints a very different picture. India’s innovation drought isn’t because of its youth — it’s because of misplaced priorities at the top. Here’s why this call feels less like inspiration and more like hypocrisy:
1. Billions Wasted on Freebies, Pennies for Innovation
The government spends astronomical sums on populist giveaways and vanity schemes while innovation-driven projects barely get crumbs. If even a fraction of this budget was directed to R&D, india would already have its global social media giant.
2. Big indian Companies Lost Their Spark
Instead of driving new-age technology, India’s corporate giants play it safe with old business models. They’re too busy milking monopolies and lobbying for protection rather than funding startups that could build the “next Facebook.”
3. The youth Already Proved Their Talent
From coding for Silicon Valley giants to building billion-dollar startups abroad, indian youth have shown world-class talent. If innovation thrives elsewhere but struggles here, the problem isn’t vision — it’s the system choking them at home.
4. Innovation Needs Ecosystems, Not Slogans
Building a social media platform requires investment, infrastructure, mentorship, and policy support. A speech on stage cannot replace an ecosystem that nurtures risk-taking. Without this, even the brightest ideas die before they start.
5. Don’t Shift the Blame
By questioning youth, the government is conveniently shifting the responsibility for its own failures. If there were true vision, support, and funding, they would have been in place long ago.
6. Stop Passing the Buck, Start Backing the Builders
india doesn’t lack dreamers. It lacks decision-makers with the courage to prioritize innovation over optics. Asking the youth to solve a problem you ignored for years is not leadership — it’s abdication.
⚡ Bottom Line:
Don’t dump failures on India’s youth. If the government truly wants an indian social media giant, it must put its money, policy, and ecosystem where its mouth is. Inspiration is easy — funding vision is the real test of leadership.