The exchange program is being conducted with 220 tribal youths from the affected areas of Chhattisgarh, MP, and Bihar
A visit to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp in Delhi was one of the highlights for a group of 220 tribal youths from Left Wing Extremism-affected areas, who are in Delhi as part of the Centre’s Tribal Youth Exchange Programme. The young people were from the districts of Sukma and Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh, Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh and Jamui in Bihar.
Youth Affairs and Sports and the Ministry of Home Affairs have collaborated on the program.
It is the 14th edition of this program, which began in 2006 for the purpose of “developing and mainstreaming tribal youth” with the support of the Department of Left Wing Extremism (LWE), Ministry of Home Affairs. During the financial year 2022-23, 26 such programs will be organized by the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) across the country, according to a statement released Wednesday by the YAS ministry.
As part of the Delhi visit, officials from the ministry also discussed topics such as ‘Jal, Jangal and Jameen’, academic sessions on left-wing extremism and Naxalism, Mahatma Gandhi’s teachings and their relevance to combating left-wing terrorism.
As YAS Minister Anurag Thakur stated, “We now intend to send our youth to various villages at the border and spend at least a day with them”. In a statement, the ministry announced it will now extend the program.
14वाँ आदिवासी युवा आदान-प्रदान कार्यक्रम में आये इस युवक का कहना था की वह नेता बनना चाहता है और पहले गांव का सर्वेक्षण करके उसकी जरूरतों के हिसाब से कार्य करेंगे। #14thTYEP #tribalyouth@Nyksindia pic.twitter.com/61pZFh4Zba
— Office of Mr. Anurag Thakur (@Anurag_Office) October 19, 2022
Several youth from metropolises, including Delhi, will be sent to border areas infested with extremism to become familiar with the issues they face and to form an affinity with places they would not otherwise visit.
In addition to exposing LWE tribal youth to the rich cultural heritage of India and enabling them to appreciate unity in diversity, this program aims to help them develop emotional connections with their peer groups in other parts of the country and to enhance their self-esteem by exposing them to development activities and industrial advancement.
As part of the programme, participants will interact with constitutional authorities such as the President and Vice President, as well as dignitaries and eminent personalities, participate in panel discussions, attend lectures, and attend industry exposure events related to career guidance and sports activities. The participants are scheduled to depart Delhi on October 21.
