PM Modi to virtually inaugurate 25th National Youth Festival

PTI, Jan 11, 2022, 5:04 PM IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually inaugurate the two-day 25th National Youth Festival to be hosted by Puducherry on Wednesday.

The festival will begin on the occasion of National Youth Day on January 12 to celebrate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekanand.

Youth Affairs secretary Usha Sharma said that the festival aims to shape the minds of India’s youth and transform them into a united force for nation building.

She said that this year, in view of the emerging COVID-19 situation, the festival has been scheduled to be held virtually.

The inauguration will be followed by the National Youth Summit which aims to galvanize, ignite, unite and activate the youth towards nation building, to unleash the true potential of our demographic dividend. During the summit, the youth will get an opportunity to express their views on current issues like environment, climate change, SDG Led Growth, technology, entrepreneurship and innovation, indigenous and ancient Wisdom, national character, nation building among others. ”During the festival, the participants will have a glimpse of Auroville, Immersive City Experience of Puducherry, indigenous sport games from all across the country and folk dances etc. Other highlights of the festival include live musical performance, interactive yoga session by Auroville & Art of Living instructors” Sharma said in a statement. Sharma also added that the National Youth Festival is one of the biggest events of its kind and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has been celebrating it with an objective of providing a platform to bring the youth of the country together in an attempt to provide them opportunity to showcase their talents in various activities. ”The Festival also provides an arena, by creating a mini-India, where youth interact in formal and informal settings and exchange their social and cultural uniqueness. This blend of diverse socio-cultural milieu creates Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat,” the secretary said.