Pitching himself as a leader and a visionary who can harness India's untapped potential and make it a developed country, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi reached out to the youth, calling them India's biggest resource while addressing the students at Shri Ram College of Commerce on Wednesday.

While pointing out that his development model was based on the agenda of pro-people and good governance, Modi said that India could become a developed country if the energy and skills of the youth of the country were ultilised optimally. He made subtle references to his rivals and blamed them for treating the youth as a vote bank.

"You go to Singapore. You will find milk from Gujarat there. You go to Afghanistan. You will find tomatoes from Gujarat there. You go to Europe. The okra you eat there will be from Gujarat" - that is how Modi explained his model of governance to the students.

The young audience listened in rapt attention as he spoke about his P2G2 model of governance - Pro-people good governance. Beginning his speech by saying that he belonged to the land of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel, Modi said that India was still lacking in self-governance, 60 years after gaining Independence.

"India got Independence in 1947. But even after six decades, the country is still looking for good governance. We have failed in this field. This has created a negative environment all around. There is disappointment all around us. People say that every one is a thief. The youth want to leave the country."

Modi exhorted the youth to take charge. "We can go ahead and help the nation develop despite all the negative things. For me the glass is always half-full, not half-empty. I am hopeful. We can change the situation."

Speaking about the youth power and the challenges the country faced, Modi said India needed to optimally use its resources. "There are two challenges. We have youth power. But we are unable to use it. We have huge natural resources, but we are unable to exploit these natural resources for the development of the country."

Modi said that the Gujarat model of governance was based on the three economic sectors - 1/3rd Agriculture, 1/3rd Industry and 1/3rd Service sector. He said that the Gujarat government gave primary attention to agriculture. "The Gujarat government organises an exhibition every May for the development of agriculture. We have invested hugely in it," he said to loud applause from the audience.

Modi made a strong pitch for making India the 21st century power. "The 21st century is the century of knowledge and I believe it can be India's century. The youth is the new age power for the country. It has to be harnessed. Let us make 'Made in India' a global brand. Let us upgrade the technology and make the world our dumping markets. Till now India was considered a land of snake charmers and black magic. However, the youth changed all that. The youth forced the world to change its outlook towards India, to change its perceptions about our country. It was not the political leaders who did anything towards it," he said.