Speaker of Lok Sabha, Shri Om Birla addressed the valedictory function of the 4th edition of National Youth Parliament Festival (NYPF) today in the Central Hall of Parliament, New Delhi. Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Anurag Singh Thakur; MoS, Youth Affairs & Sports Shri Nisith Pramanik; Secretary Youth Affairs Smt. Meeta Rajivlochan ; Secretary Sports Smt. Sujata Chaturvedi and other dignitaries were  also present on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Birla welcomed all the young participants to the historic Central Hall of the Parliament House. He informed the participants that the Central Hall has been witness to many historical and glorious occasions, including the transfer of power from Britain to India and the making of the Constitution. He mentioned that it was here in the Central Hall that India’s freedom fighters and Constitution makers prepared the supreme law of the nation i.e. the Constitution of India.

Mentioning the contribution of India, the Mother of democracy, at the global level, Shri Birla highlighted that democratic values, principles and institutions have been present in India since ancient times, which have evolved as per the needs of the time. He added that there have been mentions of democratic institutions in India from ancient Vedic period to Mahabharata and Buddhist period. Expressing joy, Shri Birla observed that democracy and democratic values are an integral part of India and its citizens.

Addressing the youth, Shri Anurag Thakur said that, ‘You are the present and you will be building the future of this country as well. He also said that, Youth will be at the forefront in Nation building to take the country from Amrit Kaal to Swarnim Kaal. The youth must be committed and undertake their duties to uphold the Panch Pran that have been enumerated by our Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi.

He said that youth being the largest stakeholder, the youth have to play the most important role in  nation building. He also informed that digitisation and data revolution have been the harbinger of efficient delivery of public services, transparency and most importantly the citizens’ trust. He also said that, India has transitioned from being one of the fragile five economies to top five economies of the world. We have moved from policy paralysis, to  policy reforms to Aatmanirbhar Bharat, he added.

The Union Minister said that girls are at the forefront in all areas including sports. He highlighted that out of 85 national winners of National Youth Parliament Festival,  61 of are girls. He also informed that out of the 12 National records that were broken last year in the Khelo India Games held in Haryana, 11 of them were broken by girls. Similarly, in Madhya Pradesh, out of 25 National records which were broken, 19 were by girls. The contribution of youth in start-ups is also immense. More than 90000 start-ups are there in India out of which 107 are Unicorns. India has the distinction of being among the top 3 start-up nation in the world, Shri Anurag Thakur explained.

The first three winners of the competition got the opportunity to speak before the Speaker, Lok Sabha who also interacted with the youth on the occasion. The three National Winners of the Festival expressed their views during the event.

The 4^th edition of National Youth Parliament Festival, 2023 was launched with the theme “Ideas for a Better tomorrow: India for the World”. District Youth Parliaments were conducted from 25^th to 29^th January 2023. More than 2.01 Lakh youth from 748 Districts of all States and UTs participated at 150 venues across the country. The 1^st and 2^nd position holder of District Youth Parliament (DYP) participated from 3^rd to 7^th February, 2023 at State Youth Parliament Festival.

The objective of the National Youth Parliament Festival (NYPF) is to hear the voice of the youth, who will join various careers in coming years, including public services. NYPF is based on the idea given by the Prime Minister in his Mann Ki Baat Address on 31^st December, 2017. Taking inspiration from the idea, the 1^st edition of NYPF 2019 was organised with the theme “Be the Voice of New India and Find solutions and Contribute to Policy” with the participation of 88,000 youth in physical mode. The 2^nd edition of National Youth Parliament Festival 2021 was organised with the theme “YUVAAH- Utsah Naye Bharat Ka” which was witnessed by more than 23 Lakh youth and stakeholders across the country in virtual mode. The 3^rd edition of National Youth Parliament Festival, 2022 was organized with the theme “Be the Voice of New India and Find solutions and Contribute to Policy” with the participation of more than 2.44 Lakh Youth.

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