At Chhatrasal Stadium, Rekha Gupta asks Delhi’s youth to turn ideas into start-ups

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta told young people at Chhatrasal Stadium to take their ideas beyond social media and turn them into start-ups, innovation and research.

Speaking at the Delhi government’s Independence Day function, Gupta warned against what she described as “Urban Naxalism”, calling it an internal challenge. She asked students and young residents to stay alert to narratives that she said could weaken confidence in national institutions and the armed forces.

Her address also set out the government’s stated development targets for Delhi. Gupta said more than 4,500 electric buses were already on the roads, with the fleet planned to reach 12,000. She said about 9,000 EV charging points had been installed, against a target of 32,000, and that three newly approved Metro corridors would add around 47 km to the network.

Gupta also said 70 lakh trees and saplings were targeted for planting, with more than 63 lakh planted so far. She described Delhi as a prospective “city of opportunities, not problems” by the time India marks 100 years of Independence.