The ‘Triveni’ (trinity) of 3Ds (demography, democracy and diversity) makes us special and be it Ram or Krishna, Shankaracharya or Vivekananda, the youth gave a new direction to the society in every period, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said while speaking at the inaugural function of ‘Y20 Summit’ under G20, hosted by the Department of Youth Affairs, Union Ministry of Youth and Sports, at Rudraksh International Convention Centre (RICC) in Varanasi on Friday.
Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the CM said he (Modi) has provided a platform to enhance the talent of the youth. “Youth is the leader of today and the builder of tomorrow,” he said, adding India is the centre of attraction for the citizens of the world due to unity in its cultural diversity.
Welcoming the youth from the G20 and other countries to the oldest spiritual city of the country, the CM said Varanasi has been known as the land of India’s spirituality, philosophy, education, literature and art.
Expressing gratitude to the PM, who is also the local MP, said with the initiative of Modi, the state got the opportunity to organise many G20 summits.
“In the same series, the main summit of Y20 is being held in Varanasi,” he said.
“Varanasi is also a major religious place for us because Lord Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath here, which even today remains sacred and a centre of attraction for the Buddhist followers across the world,” he said, adding that due to the unity in its cultural diversity.
“Our country is presiding over the prestigious event of G20 in the first year of Amrit Kaal, completing 75 years of its independence on the strong foundation of age-old culture. Every Indian is not only eager for these events but also feels proud to see India on the global platform,” Yogi said.
He said that the theme of G20, ‘One Earth One Family One Future’, actually presents the ancient system of India, which India gave the message of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ to the world thousands of years ago. He mentioned the efforts being made by the government for the youth while stating the efforts made by the PM under the Atal Innovation Mission, Start-Up India, Stand-Up India, etc.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister Anurag Thakur described Varanasi as a city of culture, trade and civilisation since ancient times, while highlighting the temples, gharanas, ghats etc.
Referring to big countries avoiding their responsibilities during the Covid pandemic, he said that at that time, India provided assistance to all, making the whole world feel its strength. He also talked about the successful meeting of the Y-20 conference in Leh-Ladakh despite protests by the neighboring countries.
Secretary (Youth Affairs) Meeta Rajeevlochan and Y-20 Chair Anmol Sovit also spoke in relation to this youth conference. In the end, the vote of thanks was proposed by Director, Department of Youth Affairs, Pankaj Singh.
Around 125 delegates from G-20 member states, guest countries and international organisations are taking part in Y20. UP ministers Swatantra Dev Singh, Anil Rajbhar, AK Sharma, Ravindra Jaiswal and Girish Yadav apart from Divisional Commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma, Commissioner of Police Ashok Mutha Jain, District Magistrate S Rajalingam and others were also present on the occasion.
