The Department of Youth Affairs is hosting over 100 members of a youth delegation from Central Asian countries as part of one-of-its-kind international youth exchange programme. The delegation arrived in India on November 17 and will conclude their tour on Wednesday, according to an official statement.
Union Minster for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur hosted a dinner for the delegation on Tuesday night, where he interacted with youth from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Youth Affairs Secretary Meeta R Lochan and other officials of the ministry were also present, the statement said.
Thakur said such programmes will go a long way in fostering goodwill and healthy relations. He also appreciated performances by the delegates and said they showed how big an impact Indian cinema had on Central Asia. "It shows that we may be in different regions of the world but we have many things common. Youth are the most important stakeholders of a country," the minister said.
Videos shared by Thakur on his Twitter handle showed the delegates grooving to the beats of Indian movie songs. One of the videos showed him interacting with the delegation. A member from the delegation was seen talking about climate crisis and urged India to take a lead in promoting clean energy.
"I really hope, one day, we will have a joint company which will produce certain technology for clean energy. Environment and climate change are among the first things to change... and India has such capacity to be at the forefront," the delegate said. Thakur, in reply, spoke about the International Solar Alliance (ISA) led by India and said the country is playing its role.
The ISA is an alliance of 121 signatory countries aiming to work towards efficient consumption of solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. The initiative was first proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a speech in November 2015 at Wembley Stadium in London, United Kingdom. Thakur also said the youth were "extremely curious about the sectoral transformations India is undergoing under Modi".
The delegates visited the Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalya and War Memorial in Delhi, and Tata Memorial Hospital, Film City and Gateway of India in Mumbai. They also interacted with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. Modi had hosted the first India-Central Asia Summit virtually on January 27.
Presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan participated in this summit, where Modi outlined his principle of "Support of All, Development for All, Trust of All, Efforts of All” for regional development, peace and prosperity.
(With PTI inputs)
