PM Modi addresses National Youth Parliament: Bats for service & an end to dynasty politics

Prime Minister Narendra Modi via video conferencing addressed the valedictory function of the second National Youth Parliament Festival (NYPF) on Tuesday. During his live address, the Prime Minister said, "today is an important day as the National Youth Parliament Festival is being held at the Central Hall of the Parliament, which in the past witnessed the framing of our Constitution." Stating that the youth of the country is sitting on the seats of Parliament where many great leaders sat, PM Modi said that India has many expectations from them. 

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Encouraging youth to enter the domain of politics, the Prime Minister said, "the youth of the country will help save the democracy of the nation." Suggesting that youth should not participate in politics for personal gains or money, PM Modi urged them to enter politics to bring a positive revolution in the country. 

PM Modi: 'Youth is foundation of the nation'

Paying homage to Swami Vivekananda, PM Narendra Modi that it was Swami Vivekananda who had said that the fearless, frank, clean-hearted, courageous and aspirational youth are the foundations on which the future of the nation is built. "He believed so much in the youth of the country," he added. 

PM Modi said, "Just like Swami Vivekananda stressed on physical and mental strength- 'Muscles of iron and nerves of steel', the Centre is inspired from his teachings and is also focussing on the mental and physical fitness of Indian youth."

Informing that the Central government is working towards creating better education curriculum for the youth of the nation, PM Modi said that the new Education Policy is a step towards nation-building as it will give better opportunities to the youth of the nation. Speaking further, he said that the New Education Policy focuses on the development of better individuals so that better individuals can build a better country. "This policy gives priority to our youth's understanding, their decisions and their beliefs, " he added. 

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Asserting that these days, even honest people are getting a chance in Politics, PM Modi said that "honesty" and "performance" is becoming the first mandatory condition of today's politics. He said that the corruption of those who had legacy has now become a burden on them as they are not able to emerge from it even after lakhs of attempts. Taking a fresh jibe at the opposition, Narendra Modi said that there are only a few people in politics who reinforce the sentiment of "nation first". 

Pointing towards the political and social corruption in India, the Prime Minister said, "The days of those who used to fight elections on the basis of the surname are numbered. But, dynasty politics continues to remain as a challenge for the country which needs to be rooted out. The disease of dynasty politics is not completely destroyed yet."

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Second National Youth Parliament Festival

According to the release by the Centre, the selected candidates in the National Youth Parliament Festival held at state and district levels also took part in the national event. The first three winners of the Festival got the opportunity to express their views in front of the Prime Minister, release added.

Impressed by the youth's active participation in the event, the Prime Minister said that he will himself post the recording of 29 finalists on his Twitter handle. Meanwhile, the  29 national winners of NYPF will get an opportunity to speak before the national jury comprising of Rajya Sabha MP Roopa Ganguly, Lok Sabha MP Parvesh Sahib Singh, and journalist Prafulla Ketkar. 

This year the National Youth Festival is being held from January 12 to 16. Due to COVID-19, the 24th edition of the event was held in virtual mode and this year's theme is 'YUVAAH-Utsah Naye Bharat Ka'. The opening ceremony and the closing ceremony of the National Youth event will both take place at the Central Hall of Parliament. 

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Union MoS (I/C) for Youth Affairs and Sports will also be present on the occasion. The main objective of the National Parliament Festival was to hear the voice of youth between 18 to 25 years of age, who are allowed to vote and will join various careers in coming years, including public services. The NYPF is based on the idea given by the Prime Minister in his 'Mann ki Baat' address of December. 

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