Youth from across the country can now participate in the fifth edition of the Yuva Sangam, a programme by the Union Ministry of Education under the Ek Bharat Shreshta Bharat initiative.
This will give them an opportunity to represent their states and union territories, officials said today, October 10.
Online registration for the fifth edition of Yuva Sangam is open until October 21.
Interested candidates between the ages of 18 and 30, including students, National Service Scheme (NSS) and Nehru Yuva Kendra Sanghatan (NYKS) volunteers, and employed or self-employed individuals, can register through the Yuva Sangam portal before the deadline.
Off-campus youngsters, including those enrolled in online courses at various skill development institutes, can also register for the event, reports PTI.
"It is an exciting opportunity for students and young professionals to learn about the country, its people and even about themselves through this transformative journey of over 5-7 days," a senior Education Ministry official said.
"Yuva Sangam allows participants to experience the diversity of India first-hand, recognise the cultural-social similarities and challenges, and develop inclusive solutions to address problems or tap opportunities through their professional/academic areas of expertise," the official added.
At the Rashtriya Ekta Divas, which were held on October 31, 2015, to celebrate Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's birth anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed the idea of a sustained and structured cultural connection between people from various regions, states PTI.
On October 31, 2016, the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (EBSB) programme was introduced to materialise this concept.
"Through Yuva Sangam tours, participants will deep dive into local heritage, geography, development landmarks and recent achievements of their paired states. Multi-dimensional exposure will be encouraged in five broad areas or five 'P's — Paryatan (tourism), Parampara (traditions), Pragati (development), Paraspar Sampark (people-to-people connect), and Prodyogiki (technology)," the official said.
For the fifth phase of Yuva Sangam, twenty eminent institutions from all over India have been selected.
Participants from these states and Union Territories (UTs) will go to their respective states and UTs under the direction of the nodal higher education institutions.