Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has launched a new initiative for Punjabi-origin students living abroad to reconnect with their ancestral roots and interact with their counterparts in Punjab’s universities.
Connect With Your Roots, targeted at 16 to 22-year-olds who have never visited India, will involve the State Government organising two-week-long tours of Punjab for groups of 15 students every other month.
“It is our desire through this initiative that the generation of youngsters, who have only heard stories about Punjab or seen it on television, get to really know Punjab and what we call Punjabiyat,” said Capt Amarinder at a special launch event attended by British Punjabi students at the Indian High Commission in london on Wednedsay.
“There is a lot of misinformation that is spread through some of the coverage on TV. We want that people should come to know the ground reality and for Punjabis to be able to reconnect with their roots,” he said.
He said that the programme would apprise Indian origin youth in other countries of the ground realities in Punjab and wean them away from false Khalistani propaganda.
“The third and fourth generation youngsters born and brought up in other countries are being misled and influenced by false propaganda, especially that which endorsed the Khalistani movement,” said Captain Amarinder, adding that the initiative was aimed at creating awareness among these youth about the true situation in Punjab.
Capt Amarinder said that the programme for each tour will be tailor-made for each group and involve coach tours of all the major historic sites of state such as the Golden Temple, Jallianwala Bagh and Wagah Border.
Each tour will have the flexibility to accommodate different inputs and allow participants to visit their own ancestral towns and villages. “And, don’t think this is a political trip. Anyone with an alliance with any party is welcome to visit anywhere and speak to whoever they wish. We want you to know the real Punjab, with all its strengths and shortcomings,” he said.
After its global launch in the UK, the Connect With Your Roots programme will open up to the Punjabi diaspora in European countries like Germany and Italy and also the US and Canada.
Punjab government plans to coordinate around six such tours every year, which will be timed according to the academic calendar in every country as well as India’s festival calendar. The first tour is expected to kick off as early as next month or by November.
Under the programme, the applicant required to bear expenses for to and fro travel from India, while boarding, lodging, local travel and sightseeing expenses will be borne by the Punjab Government.
Publicity material will be supplied to the Embassies or High Commissions in countries or regions selected.
Capt Amarinder also highlighted Punjab as an increasingly investor-friendly destination saying that the state’s industrial base was being revived. “Anyone interested in putting up an industry in Punjab is assured a single-window clearance within four days. We are also in talks with the state Chief Justice to organise special courts for the NRIs where matters can be heard on a day-to-day basis,” he said.
To promote awareness about the CYR programme, a Facebook page has been created. Interested youth can
reach out for more information through e-mail — connect_with_your_roots@punjab.gov.in and cyr@punjab.gov.in.
CYR complements another government programme ‘Friends of Punjab – Chief Minister’s Garima Gram Yojna’, seeking to connect with the millions of NRI Punjabis who have made foreign soils their homes and contributed to the progress of countries around the world with their hard work and dedicated commitment.
This programme seeks to encourage them to connect with their routes and invites them to support the government’s rural development initiatives through matching financial assistance.