The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressed the valedictory function of the second National Youth Parliament Festival today 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, Sh Om Birla; Union Education Minister, Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ and Union MoS (I/C) for Youth Affairs & Sports Sh Kiren Rijiju were present on the occasion.

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 national life. His views on nationalism and nation-building and his teaching regarding serving the people and serving the world continue to inspire us. The Prime Minister talked about Swami ji’s contribution to the individual and to Institutions. Individuals who came in contact with Swami Vivekananda and created institutions which in turn created new institution-builders. This started a virtuous cycle of individual development to institution-building and vice versa. This is a huge strength of India as the Prime Minister outlined the links between the individual entrepreneurship and great companies. He also asked the youth to take advantage of the flexibility and innovative learning format provided by the recent National Education Policy. We are trying to create an ecosystem in the country, absence of which, often compels the youth to look towards foreign shores, the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister stressed that it was Swami Vivekananda who recognized confident, clear-hearted, fearless and courageous youth as the foundation of the nation. Shri Modi presented the mantras of Swami Vivekananda for youth. For Physical fitness it is ‘Muscles of Iron and Nerves of Steel’; for personality development, it is 'Believe in Yourself'; for leadership and teamwork Swamiji said ‘'Believe in All'.

The Prime Minister, exhorted youth to contribute selflessly and constructively in politics and said that today, honest people are getting the opportunity to serve, changing the old notion of politics as a site of unscrupulous activities. Today Honesty and performance have become the need of the hour. In this context, the Prime Minister dwelled at length on the politics of dynasty. He said corruption has become a burden on the people whose legacy was corruption. He called upon the youth to root out dynastic system. Dynasty politics gives rise to incapability and dictatorship in a democratic setup as such people work towards saving the politics of family and family in politics. “Today, days of winning election by the crutches of a surname are over, still this malaise of dynastic politics is far from over…Political dynasty promotes self and family instead of pushing nation first. This is a major cause of social corruption in India”, the Prime Minister said.

Giving Example of the reconstruction work in the aftermath of Bhuj earthquake, the Prime Minister told the youth that the society that learns to make their own path in calamity, writes its own destiny. Therefore, all of 130 crore Indians are writing their own destiny today. The Prime Minister said that each and every, effort, innovation, honest pledge by today’s youth is laying a strong foundation for our future.

Speaking on the occasion, Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla said that we should resolve to make the highest use of the energy and power of the youth for the revival of our country and strengthening its Constitution and Parliament. He expressed the confidence that the future of Indian democracy is indeed bright since the youth are active participants in the affairs of the country, our democracy and its systems. The youth are coming forth with innovations for positive changes, which is an encouraging sign for the country’s democratic future.

Shri Birla called upon the young participants to spread awareness about parliamentary procedures and values among the people. He hoped that the source of power and energy that youth will take from here will serve to strengthen democracy in various regions of the country and at the same time will open avenues for solving the problems and difficulties confronting the nation, through the medium of democracy.

Shri Birla further observed that Swami Vivekananda had given the youth the message to strengthen the qualities of inner strength and self-confidence. He noted that he can visualize the same youth power and confidence in all the participants that can make impossible things possible and they have the ability to make Swamiji's dreams come true.

Referring to the importance of the Constitution, Union Minister of Education Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ said that the most important part of our Constitution is Preamble and the first sentence of the Preamble is ‘We the people of India’. This sentence binds everyone with a national spirit. He further said that citizens are the most important constituents in the parliamentary and constitutional process and the most important segment among the citizens is the young people.

Shri Pokhriyal observed that empowerment of the youth leads to the empowerment of the nation and through the National Youth Festival, the campaign of empowerment of individuals within the society and further from society to nation is progressing rapidly.

Recalling Swami Vivekananda, Shri Pokhriyal said that Swamiji always considered the youth as the greatest strength of a nation. He further said that character building holds the greatest importance in life and the building of society, as well as the nation, rests on the four pillars of physical purification, social purification, intellectual purification and spiritual purification.

In his address, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports, Shri Kiren Rijiju said it is the first time that the National Youth Festival has been organized in an online-offline hybrid mode using technology, and that it has witnessed record participation. He informed that 7 lakh youngsters had participated in 24 different competitions during the festival and congratulated the winners of the National Youth Parliament Festival. Shri Rijiju observed that when Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi gave the nation the clarion call to fight COVID-19, it was the Indian youth that played a foremost role in the fight against this global pandemic. Congratulating the youth on the occasion of National Youth Day, he said that India has a large youth power that are capable of building the Atmanirbhar Bharat and this young generation is also the guardian of the spirit of Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat.

Later, mementos were presented to the winners of the National Youth Parliament 2021 competition at the end of the program by the dignitaries.

*******

NB/OA/UD