PM Addresses The Valedictory Function of 2nd National Youth Parliament Festival

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, addressed the valedictory function of the second National Youth Parliament Festival on 12 January 2020 via video conferencing. The event took place in the Central Hall and the Prime Minister also heard the views of the three young national winners of the Festival. Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla, Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’and MoS (I/C) for Youth Affairs & Sports Shri Kiren Rijiju were present on the occasion.

The Prime Minister addressing the young parliamentarians urged them and the youth of the country to take advantage of the flexibility and innovative learning format provided by the National Education Policy- 2020. An attempt is being made to create an ecosystem in the country, the absence of which often compels the youth to look towards foreign shores, which offered them better enterprise, opportunities, recognition and respect- the Prime Minister said.

Remembering Swami Vivekananda on his birth anniversary, the Prime Minister remarked that even with the passage of time, impact and influence of Swami Vivekananda remains intact in our lives. Swami Ji's views on nationalism and nation-building and his teachings regarding serving the people and serving the world continue to inspire us. Individuals who came into contact with Swami Vivekananda Ji were influenced to create institutions and they, in turn, created new institution-builders. This started a virtuous cycle of individual development to institution-building and vice versa.

Union Education Minister Shri Pokhriyal recalled Swami Vivekananda’s message that youth is the greatest strength of any country and the future of that country is shaped by the efforts of its youth. Emphasizing that the Youth plays an important role in the democratic system, he urged everyone to become responsible citizens and to contribute to the nation-building by adopting Swami Vivekananda's ideals and values in their lives.

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Shri Pokhriyal said India, the largest democracy in the world, derives strength from our constitution, paving the way for the empowerment of the person at the bottom of the society. He said Preamble is the most important part of our constitution. The first word of the preamble is 'WE' ie "we the people of India". This sentence is embedded in Indian society and keeps the society tied together to a national spirit, he added.

He appealed youth to use their tremendous energy, aspirations, dreams and will power to shape the future of the country. “I hope that under the able leadership of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the young generation of the 21st century would form the strong foundation of Swarnim Bharat”, he said.