New Delhi: National Youth Day is celebrated every year on January 12 and this time also there is a plan to celebrate it with great pomp. Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate the 26th National Youth Festival in Hubbali, Karnataka on the occasion of National Youth Day today i.e. on Thursday. The birth anniversary of spiritual guru Swami Vivekananda is celebrated as National Youth Day. Let us tell you that this year the Youth Festival is being organized by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in collaboration with the Government of Karnataka. This year, the National Youth Festival is being held in Hubli, Karnataka from the 12th to the 16th of January. Its theme is 'Developed Youth, Developed India'.

According to the PMO i.e. Prime Minister's Office, the National Youth Festival is organized every year at the national level to provide experience to talented youth as well as to inspire them towards nation-building. It provides a platform for diverse cultures from all parts of the country and binds the participants in the spirit of Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat. The PMO said that youth summits will be held in the middle of the festival, in addition to G-20 and Y-20 (Youth-20) future of work, industry, innovation and 21st-century skills, climate change and disaster risk reduction, Common future in democracy and governance and topics like health and welfare are going to be discussed.

Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur said in a press conference that the purpose of this festival is to increase the role of youth in nation-building even more in the midst of Amrit Kaal. Hence, this is going to be an attempt to spread the message of 'Panch Prana' given by the Prime Minister among the youth. Thakur has also said that India is presiding over the G-20 this year, Which is a matter of great pride for every Indian. He has said that the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports is also organizing 'Y Talks' across the country for Y (Youth)-20 activities of G-20 and sensitizing youth about the theme of National Youth Festival Y-20. He informed that the participants will take the message and themes of Y-20 to every nook and corner of the country. Thakur also said that the youth festival was being celebrated as a green festival by using only biodegradable materials.

More than 60 eminent experts are scheduled to participate in the summit. Several competitive and non-competitive events will also be organized. The PMO said that the competitive programs would include folk dance and songs. Competition is also being organized to promote local traditional cultures. The non-competitive events are going to include Yogathon, which aims to mobilize around one million people to take up yoga. 8 indigenous sports and martial arts are also going to be presented in the middle of this event by national-level artists.

This year the festival is being celebrated as Green Youth Festival, where only reusable cutlery, napkins, etc. materials are being used. The sports ministry has said that all souvenirs, medals, and stationery are made from reusable material and water refilling stations have been set up to reduce the use of disposables. Accordingly, a Yogathon is also being planned on January 15 from 6 am to 8 am involving 5 lakh people from 31 districts of Karnataka. The ministry said that a large number of activities will be organized with the participation of youth during the period of the festival across the country.

NCP MP Mohammad Faisal sentenced to 10 years in jail in 2009 case

Karnataka: Amit Shah and Kumaraswamy engaged in a war of words

Sachin Pilot will show his strength again in Rajasthan, CM Gehlot's chair in crisis