If the young leaders of the world work together with commitment towards democracy, it will pave the way for the welfare of humanity not only in India, but across the world, said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath here on Sunday.

     All the countries of the world are working together with the spirit of the country’s ancient motto ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (the world is a family), while having adopted democracy in some form or the other which can provide a new inspiration to the world, said Yogi as he was addressing a meeting of the participants of the Gen Next Democracy Network programme at his official residence.

    The Chief Minister also felicitated the young leaders from Argentina, Botswana, Canada, Hungary, Indonesia, Japan and Lithuania on behalf of the Uttar Pradesh government and citizens.

     CM Yogi said that India, which is currently celebrating the Amrit Mahotsav of its independence, is not only the largest democracy in the world, but also the mother of all democracies as it is deeply rooted in the country since ancient times.

Yogi said that Uttar Pradesh represents the spiritual and cultural ethos of India and is an important state in many ways. “UP plays the most important role in India’s food production in this state. With 11 percent cultivable land, we produce 20 percent of India’s total foodgrains. UP is number one in India in foodgrain production. UP is number one in sugarcane production,” CM Yogi asserted.

     Welcoming the young leaders, he said, “Kashi is the city of India’s spiritual and cultural identity. This city has been known since the beginning of creation. Not only this, along with Kashi, India has also given the world’s oldest scripture Rigveda to the world. I am happy that the young leaders of Japan are also here. The memories of Japan are linked to India, because India and the land of Uttar Pradesh play an important role in it, be it the land of Lord Buddha’s enlightenment or the land of his attainment of perfection, his Mahaparinirvana place or his holy land. These cultural relations between India and Japan are very ancient. You yourself must have seen those memories of Japan in Varanasi. Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe himself took this program forward through the India-Japan Cultural Council.”

He said that democratic values are supreme in India, and UP, and its best example was seen during the pandemic when 80 crore people were provided free ration while more than 220 crore vaccine doses were given to the people free of cost.

According to the CM, free vaccines were made available to more than 25 countries of the world. He added further, “In Uttar Pradesh, we are running many programmes which are bringing changes to the lives of common citizens and making them self-reliant. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi ji, every citizen of the country and the state feels proud because he knows that not only India is in safe hands, but also the interests of every citizen are protected.”

    Meanwhile, India is hosting the 7th batch of young leaders from January 22 to 31, 2023, as part of a new initiative called the Gen Next Democracy Network.

     The event has been planned by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), India’s Ministry of External Affairs. Under this, young emerging leaders from global fora will visit India to have a comprehensive overview of India’s democratic traditions, its cultural heritage, its developmental initiatives and Indian democratic traditions at Union and State level.

     The programme is divided into various groups, consisting of approximately seven to eight countries with two to five representatives from each country in each group. ICCR has so far hosted 6 batches of Gen-Next Democracy Network Program delegates from 31 countries. These tours were very successful and the groups held meetings at various places including the Parliament.