'Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached” should be the golden rule for the youth: Shri Anurag Thakur

LG of Puducherry Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan and Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports Shri Anurag Singh Thakur addressed the valedictory ceremony of 25th National Youth Festival 2022 today. Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Nisith Pramanik; Minister for Education & Youth Affairs Govt. of Puducherry Shri A. Namassivayam; Secretary of Department of Youth Affairs Smt. Usha Sharma and Joint Secretary of Department of Youth Affairs Shri Nitesh Kumar Mishra also graced the event.

In his address, Shri Anurag Thakur thanked the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for inaugurating the National Youth Festival 2022. The Minister stated that millions of young Indians joined the programme of the Prime Minister and pledged to take India forward from 75th year of Independence to its 100th year. He added that all the sessions that were held in these two days went a long way in motivating the Youth of the country. Eminent personalities from various walks of life were invited to address the youth like Padma Shree award winner Smt. Tulsi Gowda. Shri Thakur added that such achievers were never recognised before, and it is only now that their contribution to nation building has been recognised and honoured.

Shri Thakur said that the Youth Festival drew a tremendous response as thousands of questions have been received from across the country and these questions should be shared with the speakers to elicit their response to the youth. Giving the example of Araku Valley coffee cultivation, the Minister highlighted the importance of organic farming for employment generation among the youth and making the country AtmaNirbhar. Start- ups like Patym and Byjus are inspiring examples of how the youth can explore new areas of success.

Shri Thakur exhorted the youth to make use of all the skills learnt at the National Youth Festival sessions in their daily life. He urged the youth to take forward the slogan of Prime Minister that even during bad times we must look for opportunities. For example, the pandemic should not be considered a setback alone, instead it gave us an opportunity to become Atma Nirbhar in PPE kits, and vaccines and all this can be achieved only if we realise our potential and work together. Shri Anurag Thakur reiterated that the Youth should select any area and see what changes they want to see in it next 25 years and work towards making those changes.

Finally , remembering the words of Swami Vivekanand, the Minister said "Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached" should be the golden rule for the youth.

In her address, the LG of Puducherry Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan said that Puducherry has been privileged to host the National Youth Festival 2022. The two days' festival has been one of its kinds in keeping up with the challenges of pandemic and was hosted by bringing talent on the virtual platform. Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan said that the youth are the foundation of the nation and the nation can progress only if the foundation is strong. The youth have contributed to the success of various government programmes like the Swachch India Mission which is nothing short of a social revolution, she asserted. Applauding the Skill India programme of the Government, Smt Soundararajan urged the youth to hone their skills and as in the words of the Prime Minister 'compete and conquer'. She reiterated that the youth should strive to become a job giver instead of job seeker and hoped that participation in the Youth Festival will show a new path in their lives.

During his address, Shri Nisith Pramanik said that Swami Vivekananda's thoughts are an inspiration for the youth. This time the National Youth Festival was special in many ways because it was made virtual due to Covid at the last moment, yet it got immense success, and it is clear that if the youth decide upon something then they can definitely get success. Shri Pramanik appealed to the youth to adopt new technology but must not forget the history and culture of the country and contribute towards nation building.

The Virtual National Youth Festival 2022 was inaugurated by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in collaboration with the host UT- Government of Puducherry on 12th January, 2022. Taking into account the Covid-19 pandemic, the festival is a historic event being conducted as a virtual experience for the young audience - logging on from varied remote geographies and locations in India. The two-day festival was hosted under the vision of the Prime Minister to forge a new India and harness the power of youth. The summit featured contemporary themes like Environment and Climate Change Leadership, Tech, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Indigenous and Ancient Wisdom and National Character, Nation Building and Homegrown Intellectuals.

The summit witnessed personalities like Conservationist - Hans Dalal, Randeep Hooda, Historians like Sanjiv Sanyal and Hindol Sengupta who has written a biography on Swami Vivekananda, Manoj kumar - a development economist turned agriculturist teamed up with stalwarts from the entrepreneurial world like Founder and CEO of Paytm, Vijay Shekhar Sharma and Shri Dushyant Shridhar - who delved into vedic wisdom for the young audience to deliver the doctrines and foundational principles of Brand New India.

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