Chennai: Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani on March 22 made a fervent appeal to make the 21st century "India-centric", through collective efforts that was characteristic of the pre-Independence period.

"The Indian youth should achieve things individually and collectively, thus contributing to the might of the country," he said while inaugurating the silver jubilee celebrations of the Meenakshi College for Women.

"We have to realise that India has the potential to become a country of greatness," he said, pointing out that achieving this depended on how best the young generation and educational institutions tapped the country's inherent potential.

Advani regretted that the collective efforts of the pre-Independence period, which helped the country free itself from colonial domination, was missing during the post- Independence period.

He said that there was no need to look to the West for women's rights and pointed out that unlike in the case of West, where women had to fight for their franchise, in India women were given the right to vote without any agitation.

The Deputy Prime Minister, who stressed the need for giving maximum thrust to education and health care, lauded the strides being achieved by India in Information Technology (IT) across the globe.

PTI