Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to hold open discussions with Olympians and paralympians, inaugurate MSME technology center and an auditorium among other things to mark the 25th National Youth Festival on 12 January, the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, in Puducherry.

Giving this information here the Prime Minister Office said the Youth Festival would also ‘incorporate discussion on themes in line with youth-led development and motivating youngsters to solve emerging issues and challenges.,

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Besides holding open discussions with Olympians and Paralympians, Prime Minister Modi will also unveil selected essays on “Mere Sapno ka Bharat” and “Unsung Heroes of Indian Freedom Movement”.

Modi will later also inaugurate an MSME Technology Centre and Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Manimandapam and an auditorium with open-air theatre, according to the PMO.

The Prime Minister will inaugurate the national youth festival at 11 am in Puducherry, via video conferencing. The day, being the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda is observed as National Youth Day.

“The Festival aims to shape the minds of India’s youth and transform them into a united force for nation-building. It is one of the biggest exercises in social cohesion and intellectual & cultural integration. It aims to bring diverse cultures of India and integrate them into a united thread of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat,” a PMO note explaining the spirit behind the festival stated.

This year, in view of the emerging Covid situation, the Festival has been scheduled to be held virtually from 12 – 13 January.

The inaugural event will be followed by the National Youth Summit. Panel discussions on four identified themes will be held at the summit. Further, in line with the youth-led development and motivating youngsters to solve the emerging issues and challenges, the themes will include environment, climate and SDG led growth; tech, entrepreneurship and innovation; indigeneous and ancient wisdom; and national character, nation building and homegrown.

Recorded video capsules of Puducherry, Auroville, Immersive City Experience, indigenous sports games and folk dances etc. will be shown to the participants during the Festival. There will also be open discussions with Olympians and Paralympians followed by live performances in the evening. Virtual Yoga session will be held in the morning.

During the event, Prime Minister Modi will unveil selected essays on “Mere Sapno ka Bharat” and “Unsung Heroes of Indian Freedom Movement”. These essays have been selected from submissions by over 1 lakh youth on the two themes.

The Prime Minister will also inaugurate a Technology Centre of the MSME Ministry, established at Puducherry at a cost of about Rs 122 crore. With focus on the Electronic System Design & Manufacturing (ESDM) Sector, the Technology Centre will be equipped with the latest technology. It will contribute towards skilling youth and will be able to train around 6400 trainees per year, the PMO said.

Prime Minister will also inaugurate the Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Manimandapam – an auditorium with open-air theatre, constructed by government of Puducherry at a cost of about Rs 23 crores. It would be used for educational purposes and can accommodate more than 1000 people, the PMO note further added.