By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the valedictory function of the second National Youth Parliament Festival on 12th January 2021 at 10:30 AM via video conferencing. Three national winners of the Festival will also express their views during the event. Lok Sabha Speaker, Union Education Minister and Union MoS (I/C) for Youth Affairs & Sports will also be present on the occasion.
The objective of the National Youth Parliament Festival (NYPF) is to hear the voice of youth between 18 and 25 years of age, who are allowed to vote and will join various careers in coming years, including public services. NYPF is based on the idea given by the Prime Minister in his Mann Ki Baat Address on 31st December 2017. Taking inspiration from the idea, the first NYPF was organised from 12 January to 27 February 2019 with the theme “Be the Voice of New India and Find solutions and Contribute to Policy”. A total of 88,000 youth participated in the program.
The second NYPF was launched on 23rd December 2020 through virtual mode. 2.34 lakh youth from across the country participated in the first stage. It was followed by State Youth Parliaments through virtual mode from 1 to 5 January 2021. The finals of the second NYPF will be held in the Central Hall of the Parliament on 11th January, 2021. 29 National winners will get an opportunity to speak before the National Jury comprising of Ms. Roopa Ganguly, MP, Rajya Sabha, Shri Parvesh Sahib Singh, MP, Lok Sabha and Shri Prafulla Ketkar, eminent journalist. The top three winners will get an opportunity to speak before the Prime Minister in the valedictory function on 12th January.
National Youth Festival is celebrated every year from 12th to 16th January. 12th January being the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, is observed as National Youth Day. This year, NYPF is also being organized along with the National Youth Festival.
The objective of the National Youth Festival is to bring youth of the country together to showcase their talents; provide them an arena, by creating a mini-India, where youth interact in formal and informal settings and exchange their social and cultural uniqueness. It is also to promote national integration, spirit of communal harmony, brotherhood, courage and adventure. The basic aim is to propagate the spirit, essence and concept of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.
Due to COVID-19, the 24th National Youth Festival is being held in virtual mode. ‘YUVAAH – Utsah Naye Bharat Ka’ is the theme of this year’s festival, which suggests, the youth bring alive the celebration of New India. The opening ceremony of the 24th National Youth Festival and the closing ceremony of 2nd National Youth Parliament Festival will both take place on 12th January, 2021 in the Central Hall of Parliament. Closing ceremony of the 24th National Youth Festival will take place in Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi on 16th January, 2021.
