Prime Minister highlights a concerning trend where children are increasingly dependent on digital devices during basic activities like eating. While acknowledging utility of technology, he emphasizes need for disciplined usage, urging families to ensure that devices remain helpful tools rather than controlling influences in daily life.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks during the second episode of Pariksha Pe Charcha strike at the heart of a modern dilemma confronting India’s students: the fine balance between embracing technology and becoming dependent on it. His caution that students should not allow technology to “enslave” them is timely in an era where mobile phones, screens, and algorithms increasingly shape attention spans, habits, and even basic routines. The Prime Minister’s observation that some children cannot eat food without a mobile phone or television may sound stark, but it reflects a growing social reality. Digital devices, originally designed to empower and inform, are quietly becoming masters of daily life for many young people. Modi’s call for a “firm resolve” to ensure technology remains a servant rather than a ruler is not a rejection of modern tools, but a plea for conscious and disciplined use. Importantly, Modi did not frame emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence as threats. Instead, he urged students to shed fear and use AI to enhance their skills and potential. This distinction matters. In a world rapidly being reshaped by automation and intelligent systems, resisting technology is neither realistic nor desirable. The challenge lies in using these tools purposefully—learning faster, thinking deeper, and solving real-world problems—without surrendering autonomy or curiosity to screens. The Prime Minister’s advice on exam preparation reinforced this broader message of balance. Emphasising practice through previous years’ question papers and the importance of adequate sleep, he highlighted fundamentals often overlooked amid digital distractions. His assertion that proper preparation reduces stress and that good sleep keeps the mind cheerful underlines a simple truth: success is built as much on discipline and routine as on intelligence or access to resources.
“With a record 4.5 crore registrations, Pariksha Pe Charcha highlights the widespread need for student guidance amid exam anxiety. Prime Minister Modi’s central message emphasizes that while technology and ambition are vital, they must be grounded in self-discipline and purpose. Ultimately, a student’s greatest challenge today is not the exam itself, but maintaining mastery over their own time and digital distractions.”
Beyond exams, Modi linked student life to the larger national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. His belief that students of Classes 10 and 12 can carry this dream reflects an attempt to instil a sense of responsibility and civic consciousness early on. The emphasis on everyday discipline—turning off engines at red lights, avoiding food wastage, reducing excess consumption—suggests that national development is shaped as much by small personal habits as by grand policies. His reflections on teachers, parents, and leadership added another layer to the interaction. By crediting mothers and teachers for shaping great lives and defining leadership as the ability to communicate clearly and take initiative, Modi broadened the conversation beyond exams to character-building. Leadership, he argued, is not confined to elections but begins with the confidence to articulate ideas and inspire others. As Pariksha Pe Charcha continues to expand—now breaking records with over 4.5 crore registrations, it reflects both the scale of exam-related anxiety and the hunger for guidance. Modi’s message, at its core, is clear: technology and ambition must be anchored in self-control, discipline, and purpose. In an age of limitless digital access, the true test for students may not be the exam paper, but their ability to remain masters of their own time, attention, and choices.
