Left-wing extremists and their ideology are against the country's development and bright future, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday.
Interacting with 200 tribal youths under the Tribal Youth Exchange Programme here, Shah also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to build 10 tribal museums across the country at a cost of Rs 200 crore in the memory of the tribal freedom fighters who sacrificed everything in the country's freedom struggle.
He said violence cannot provide jobs and it is necessary to join the mainstream of society for development and creation of basic infrastructure.
"Left-wing extremists and their ideology are against the country's development and bright future," he said.
The home minister said those who do not want mobile towers, roads and other essential facilities in the areas affected by Left Wing Extremism are creating hurdles in the way of a bright future of the youth.
He said the tribal youth should play an important role in eradicating the idea of Left Wing Extremism from the country.
Shah said a lot of opportunities are available for the people of tribal community.
He said it is the responsibility of the tribal youth to neither tread on the wrong path nor allow others to do so.
The home minister said the tribal youth should tell everyone back home that today, the country is progressing in every field and there are ample opportunities for them in every field.
He said it is a matter of pride that a tribal woman, Droupadi Murmu, is the President of India.
He said that one's birthplace is not important but the work a person has done in life is important.
Shah said wealth, knowledge and respect can only be achieved through hard work.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has been running the Tribal Youth Exchange Programme (TYEP) for the last 15 years.
The programme is being run through Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, an official statement said.
Under this programme, young men and women of the tribal community from the interior areas most affected by Left Wing Extremism are taken on a tour to major cities and metros across the country.
The main objectives of this programme are promoting the aspirations of the youth in areas affected by Left Wing Extremism and countering the propaganda against the government being spread by the CPI(Maoist).
Other objectives include informing the youth of tribal areas about the development activities and industrial progress and to sensitize them about the rich cultural heritage of India, deepening the confidence in democratic system in these areas and spreading awareness about major development and welfare schemes among the youth of the tribal community, the statement said.
Developing an emotional bonding between the youth belonging to the tribal community and their peer groups in other parts of the country is also one of the objectives.
In the Tribal Youth Exchange Programme, 25,880 youngsters from the tribal community have participated from 2006-07 to 2022-23.
Out of these, 20,700 youths have participated in the last nine years from 2014-15 to 2022-23, and 10,200 youths participated in the last four years from 2019-20 to 2022-23.
This year 5,000 young men and women are participating in TYEP. Earlier, 2,000 participants were taking part in this programme every year, which was increased to 4,000 in August 2019 and further to 5,000 participants per year in 2022.
In this programme, constitutional authorities, senior government officials, outstanding achievers in sports, industry, arts etc., and other role models are invited to interact with the youth.
Apart from this, industry exposure trips, activities under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, speech competitions, skill development, career guidance, exposure to sports events, visits to the camps of security forces, and cultural programs, etc. are also organised.
Further, when these youngsters return to their native places, a programme is organised whereby they share their experiences with other youths and residents of their area.
Under TYEP, this year youths are being taken on a tour to major cities and metros across the country in 25 groups.
Each group will have 200 young men and women from the interior areas most affected by Left Wing Extremism.
Three groups are visiting the national capital this year.
The first group is visiting Delhi from October 15 to 21 and includes 140 participants from Bijapur, Sukma, Bastar, Dantewada, Kanker, Narayanpur and Rajnandgaon of Chhattisgarh and 60 participants from Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh, the statement said.
-With PTI Input
