Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Vijay Goel and Power Minister Piyush Goel on Sunday flagged off the 9th Slum Yuva Daud. Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju, Member of Parliament Parvesh Verma and Olympic Medalist wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt took part in the marathon.
Nearly 3,000 youths from Delhi slums participated in this marathon which commenced from Sahib Singh Verma Park (Kakrola Village) and terminated at SDMC Community Hall (Dwarka Sec-17) and each of them was encouraged by awarding them medals and certificates. The Slum Yuva Daud is a part of the Adopt Slum Campaign instigated by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan.
Addressing the participants of the marathon, Vijay Goel said, “Our main motive is to impart positivity among the youth of the slums so that they do not indulge in drugs or engage in any type of anti-social activities. Furthermore, we also wish to hold competitions for football, volleyball and also prepare teams for the same so that we are able to perceive the hidden forte of these slum children.”
“Indian Youth have tremendous energy which they should utilise for transforming India into New India”, said Piyush Goel.
“This intiative is exceptionally beneficial to unite the youth for various constructive activities such as Digital India, Swachchh Bharat etc. Such activities empower the youth and they feel elated. This will surely help us in establishing “Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat”, said Rijiju while interacting with children. Out of the 11 Slum Dauds which have been planned out, 9 have turned out to be huge success. Such events would engage the youth and stimulate them to showcase their skills and share their ideas.