Youth suggestions sought for PM Modi’s inaugural speech at 25th National Youth Festival

Prime minister Narendra Modi will be virtually inaugurating the 25th National Youth Festival at 11 am on January 12, and the Centre is seeking innovative suggestions from the country’s youth for the PM’s inaugural speech.

In a tweet on January 10, Union minister of Information and Broadcasting, Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur has asked the youth to share ideas that will be included in the speech. “On the occasion of 25th NYF2022, Youth across the country can share suggestions and fresh concepts for the Prime Minister’s speech,” he tweeted.

The festival will be hosted in Puducherry and is being organised as part of the ‘Azadi ki Amrit Mahotsav’, marking the 75th year of India’s Independence. The National Youth Festival began in 1995 as a significant activity under the programme hosted by National Integration Camp (NIC).

The two-day festival will have the virtual participation of about 7,000 youths aged between 18 and 22 from across India. About 500 youths from Puducherry alone will participate in the event.

A National Youth Summit will also be held on January 13 and it will bring diverse cultures of India together with the aim to promote ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat,’ a campaign launched in 2015. The campaign increases the knowledge of Indian culture, traditions and practices of different states and union territories in India.

In line with youth-led development and motivating youngsters to solve emerging issues and challenges, the festival themes will include environment, climate and SDG-led growth; technology, entrepreneurship and innovation; indigeneous and ancient wisdom; and national character and nation building.

Recorded video capsules of Puducherry, Auroville, Immersive City Experience, indigenous sport games and folk dances and so on will be shown to the participants during the festival. There will also be open discussions with Olympians and Paralympians, followed by a live performance in the evening. A virtual Yoga session will be organised in the morning.

Prime Minister Modi will also inaugurate a technology centre for the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), established at Puducherry with an investment of about Rs 122 crore. With focus on the Electronic System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) sector, this technology centre will be equipped with the latest technology. It will contribute towards skilling youth and will be able to train around 6,400 trainees per year.

The PM will also inaugurate the Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Manimandapam – an auditorium with an open air theatre, constructed by the government of Puducherry at a cost of about Rs 23 crore. It would primarily be used for educational purposes, and can accommodate more than 1,000 people.

Initially, PM Modi was to attend the inauguration ceremony physically, but in view of the spike in COVID-19 cases, he will be attending it virtually.