A youth delegation from Central Asian countries is on a tour of India as a part of the international youth exchange programme. On Tuesday night, November 22, Union Minster for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur hosted a dinner for the delegation.
The delegation arrived in India on November 17 and will conclude their tour on Wednesday, November 23, according to an official statement. Over 100 delegates from other Asian countries are present in India and the Ministry of Youth Affairs is hosting them, as per a report by PTI.
During the dinner, Thakur interacted with youth from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. He said that such youth exchange programmes would go a long way in fostering goodwill and healthy relations. The Minister also appreciated the performances by the delegates and said they showed how big an impact Indian cinema had on Central Asia.
"It shows that we may be in different regions of the world but we have many things in common. Youth are the most important stakeholders of a country," Thakur said. Youth Affairs Secretary Meeta R Lochan and other officials of the Ministry were also present at the event, as per the official statement.
Videos of the event shared by Thakur on his Twitter handle showed the delegates grooving to the beats of Indian movie songs. In one of the videos, he was seen interacting with the delegation. A member of the delegation was also seen talking about the climate crisis and urged India to take a lead in promoting clean energy, as per PTI.
"I really hope, one day, we will have a joint company which will produce certain technology for clean energy. Environment and climate change are among the first things to change. And India has such capacity to be at the forefront," the delegate said. Thakur, in reply, spoke about the International Solar Alliance (ISA) led by India and said that the country was playing its role.
The Minister also mentioned that the youth delegates were "extremely curious about the sectoral transformations that India was undergoing under Modi". The delegates visited the Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalya and War Memorial in Delhi, the Tata Memorial Hospital, Film City and Gateway of India in Mumbai. They also interacted with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
PM Modi had hosted the first India-Central Asia Summit virtually on January 27. Presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan had participated in the summit, where Modi outlined his principle of "Support of All, Development for All, Trust of All, Efforts of All" for regional development, peace and prosperity, as per PTI.