Three-day Chintan Shivir of Youth Affairs & Sports Ministers begins in Srinagar
Srinagar, Apr 24: A three-day Chintan Shivir of Youth Affairs and Sports Ministers from states and Union Territories began here at SKICC on Friday, with Union Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya calling for making youth equal partners in nation-building and stressing that stakeholder consultation and transparency must ensure grassroots inputs directly translate into policy outcomes without leakages.
The first day, themed “Samvaad Se Samadhaan” (From Dialogue to Solution), focused on strengthening youth engagement frameworks through MY Bharat, with emphasis on policy alignment, institutional convergence, and outcome-oriented programme delivery.
In his keynote address, Union Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya highlighted the importance of inclusive and participatory governance, stating, “The vision of this Chintan Shivir is to ensure individual involvement by bringing every youth voice into the decision-making process.”
Highlighting India’s demographic strength, he said, “India has the world’s most powerful demographic dividend, and to realise the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, it is essential that youth are actively involved in shaping policies that will ultimately benefit them.” He further underlined the need for collaborative nation-building, stating, “We must make youth equal partners in achieving the goals of 2047, not just beneficiaries of schemes.”
Highlighting institutional mechanisms, Dr Mandaviya said, “Proper nurturing of youth can be achieved through District Youth Officers (DYOs), who can effectively channelise ideas emerging from the grassroots.” Calling for robust policymaking processes, he emphasised that stakeholder consultation is essential for effective policy formulation, and transparency must ensure that input directly translates into output without leakages.
Minister of State Raksha Nikhil Khadse noted that the Chintan Shivir provides a platform for meaningful dialogue and action. “This Chintan Shivir offers a platform for fruitful discussions to identify key issues and evolve actionable strategies for the youth of the country,” she said, emphasising that youth must be actively involved in the decision-making process at every level and that discussions must flow from the ground level through DYOs to the national level.
Dr Pallavi Jain Govil, Secretary, Department of Youth Affairs, stated that the present Chintan Shivir builds upon earlier deliberations, providing an opportunity for officers at all levels to present their challenges and innovative ideas, enabling informed and evidence-based decision-making with youth playing a central role in building Viksit Bharat 2047.
Earlier, Nitesh Kumar Mishra, Additional Secretary (Youth Affairs), welcomed the participants and outlined the objectives of the Shivir. Technical sessions on Day 1 included detailed deliberations on the Annual Action Plan 2026–27, focusing on policy alignment, strategic priorities, gap analysis, and implementation frameworks. Presentations highlighted best practices in youth club development, sustainability models, and learnings from previous programme cycles.
Discussions further examined strengthening digital youth engagement through the MY Bharat platform, enhancing grassroots participation, and improving convergence between MY Bharat and the National Service Scheme (NSS), including fund flow mechanisms and programme coordination.
The day concluded with a synthesis of key insights and the formation of thematic groups to take forward focused deliberations in subsequent sessions. The Chintan Shivir will continue over the next two days with emphasis on cross-learning, policy alignment, and action-oriented outcomes, contributing to the broader vision of building an empowered youth ecosystem under Viksit Bharat@2047.
