New Delhi, February 9 Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that students should not allow technology to control them, but should use it to enhance their potential.
In the second episode of Pariksha Pe Charcha, he noted that mobile phones have become masters for some children, who cannot even eat food without them or without a television screen.
"This means that you have become slaves of mobile phones. You must make a firm resolve that you will not allow technology to control you," Modi said in an interaction with students that took place in Coimbatore, Raipur, Guwahati, and Gujarat.
The prime minister urged students not to be afraid of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, but to use them to hone their skills and improve their potential.
"We should try not to make AI or mobile phones the master; some children do not eat food unless they see a smartphone. We can use AI efficiently," he said.
The prime minister also urged students to practice past papers and get a good night's sleep to perform better in examinations.
"You will never feel tense after preparing well for exams. A good night's sleep will keep you cheerful for the rest of the day," Modi said.
The prime minister said he felt good to see that the students of Classes 10 and 12 in the country can also carry the dream of Viksit Bharat 2047 in their minds.
"This is a matter of great happiness for me. We should adopt the habits of developed countries—we should turn off engines at red lights, we should not leave food, and we should reduce wastage... Discipline is very important in our life..."
The prime minister recalled the role of his teachers in his days as a student and their insistence on exercise to remain healthy.
"If you ask any great person, they will say that their mother and teachers helped shape their life," Modi said.
On leadership, the prime minister said a key quality was the ability to communicate better.
"To become a leader, develop a mindset to take initiative. Leadership does not only mean contesting elections. A key leadership quality is the ability to communicate your thoughts clearly and effectively to at least ten people," the prime minister said.
The first episode of the ninth edition of Pariksha Pe Charcha was aired last week, where the prime minister advised students to listen to everyone's advice but change their lifestyle pattern only when they want to. He also told them that education should not feel like a burden and advised them to focus not only on marks but also on improving life.
Launched in 2018, Pariksha Pe Charcha began as student interaction in a townhall format before expanding into one of India's largest education engagement exercises.
Registrations rose from about 38.8 lakh in 2023 to 2.26 crore in 2024, before touching 3.53 crore in 2025 – a milestone that earned the programme a Guinness World Record. The ninth edition broke the previous record with over 4.5 crore registrations.