Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the ‘Viksit Vibrant Village’ programme was launched to give young people firsthand experience of the cultural heritage, socio-economic landscape and livelihoods of India’s border villages, which the government has designated as the country’s ‘first villages’.
During a virtual interaction with participants of the programme, which drew youth from 250 districts across the country, PM Modi said, “A few years back, we had created ‘Mera Yuva Bharat – My Bharat Manch’, with which crores of youths from across the country have connected.”
Prime Minister Modi praised the participants for their contribution, saying they had demonstrated their commitment through initiatives ranging from the ‘Viksit Bharat Dialogue’ to the ‘Viksit Vibrant Village’ programme.
The Prime Minister said, “The thought was to physically connect the youth so that they get to increase their knowledge about the country. There are so many aspirations in India’s villages to move towards development.”
PM Modi added that the programme intends to enable youth from across the country to visit villages in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Ladakh to understand their lifestyle, food habits, culture, livelihoods and the challenges they face.
“Our goal was to make our youth experience this,” PM Modi said, noting that the initiative also sought to familiarise participants with the perspectives of border residents on national security and their connection with the rest of the country.
The Prime Minister said the programme selected more than 400 participants from around three lakh applicants. He commended them for living with border communities and adapting to their way of life, adding, “There can be no bigger example of ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’ than this”.
PM Modi also recalled his own visits to border villages before entering public life and said he continues to visit border areas to meet soldiers.
Emphasising the role of young people in nation-building, the Prime Minister said, “Youth have a major role to play in this.”
PM Modi also highlighted the patriotism of border residents despite years of inadequate infrastructure. He said India now recognises these villages as the country’s first villages, which are also the first to receive the day’s sunlight.
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