Mumbai: The Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat on June 12 called upon the people to change India's image of a country beset with illiteracy, unemployment, poverty and other social evils and place it among the 10 most progressive nations in the world by 2020.

Speaking after inaugurating an exhibition "On the path of progress", he said the people, including media, should stop dwelling on negative aspects of the country and instead focus on its achievements and strides taken by India in many areas, including Railways and Aviation.

He said the media often ignored the achievement of the railways in the last 150 years and accorded ample publicity to the railway accidents, number of deaths and statistics involving railway mishaps.

"It is time that we shed away this negative projection of India and start harping on its achievements," he said.

India had vast resources and if they were tapped the country could march ahead on the path of progress and surpass many other nations, he said.

Shekhawat said USA today rejected Visa applications of young students because the West was aware of the vast potential possessed by young Indians who had the capacity to capture the entire international market due to their superior intelligence in various fields including software.

PTI