Parliament Question: Outcomes of VBYLD

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF YOUTH AFFAIRS & SPORTS DEPARTMENT OF YOUTH AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3610 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.08.2025 Outcomes of VBYLD 3610. Smt. Smita Uday Wagh: Dr. Hemang Joshi: Dr. Lata Wankhede: Will the Minister of YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS be pleased to state: (a) the manner in which ideas and suggestions are shared from youth participants presented to the Hon’ble Prime Minister and senior stakeholders during the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue (VBYLD); (b) whether these ideas were formally documented and whether there is any mechanism put in place to follow-up on them including feedback from participating States like Maharashtra; (c) the future plans for implementing the aforesaid key suggestions/feedback; (d) whether the Government is planning to institutionalise the VBYLD as an annual exercise to engage young leaders, especially from aspirational districts in Maharashtra; (e) the objectives achieved so far in youth empowerment leadership and innovation through VBYLD; (f) the total number of National Youth Festivals organised so far; and (g) the proposed plan of the Government for organising VBYLD, 2026?ANSWER THE MINISTER OF YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS [DR. MANSUKH MANDAVIYA] (a) Viksit Bharat Challenge, a four-stage competition was conducted for participation of Youth in the National Youth Festival. First two stages of the Viksit Bharat Challenge i.e. Stage 1: Viksit Bharat Quiz which was held from 25th November to 10th December 2024 and Stage 2: Viksit Bharat Essay Challenge held from 10th December to 17th December 2024 were conducted through the MyGov Portal in a virtual mode. Later two stages of the Viksit Bharat Challenge i.e. Stage 3: Viksit Bharat PPT Challenge, held at State level from 22nd December to 30th December 2024 and Stage 4: Viksit Bharat Championship at National Youth Festival held from 10th January to 12th January 2025 were conducted in physical mode. In addition to this, physical participation was also facilitated from various States/UTs selected through State Youth Festivals. Youth from different States and Union Territories participated in various traditional track events as well as Viksit Bharat Challenge. During the National Youth Festival (NYF): Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue (VBYLD) 2025, held from 10th to 12th January 2025 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, ten teams of selected youth participants presented their ideas before the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India. Each team was assigned a dedicated mentor to guide them through the preparatory phase. Theme-wise sessions were organized, wherein structured discussions, brainstorming, and idea refinement exercises were conducted between the mentors and participants in designated session rooms. These interactions helped the youth articulate innovative, practical, and future-ready solutions aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047. The final presentations reflected the collective efforts of the participants and mentors, showcasing well-structured proposals across ten distinct themes. This process provided a structured platform for youth engagement and ensured that their ideas were meaningfully presented to the leadership at the highest level. (b) & (c): Following the organisation of the NYF: VBYLD 2025, the Ministry has initiated hosting a series of Roundtables aimed at fostering collaborative problem-solving and generating actionable policy inputs aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047, with an emphasis on engaging youth from across the country. A total of 24Sector-specific VBYLD Roundtables are planned to be conducted throughout the year, out of which 10 have already been held. The details of these 10 roundtables are provided in the table below. Sr. Date Place Topic No. 1 8th February, Gandhinagar, Empowering Youth: 2025 Gujarat Global Perspective 2 24th February, Bhopal, Madhya Empowering Women and 2025 Pradesh Enhancing Social Indicators 3 7th March, 2025 Hyderabad, Enhancing Productivity in Telangana Agriculture 4 7th March, 2025 Hyderabad, Steering India towards a Telangana fully Sustainable Future 5 19th March, 2025 Bengaluru, Tech For Viksit Bharat Karnataka 6 27th March, 2025 Delhi Central Asian Roundtable 7 11th April, 2025 Delhi Global Shapers Roundtable 8 18th April, 2025 Ahmedabad, Vikas bhi, Virasat bhi Gujarat 9. 5th July, 2025 Dehradun, Building the Uttarakhand Infrastructure for Future 10. 15th July, 2025 Vadodara, Gujarat Making India the startup capital of the world (d) Yes Sir, the Government is organizing National Youth Festival every year and VBYLD is the restructured format of the festival through which young leaders will continue to be engaged. (e) VBYLD–2025 emerged as a landmark event, fostering the next generation of leaders, innovators and thinkers who will drive India’sgrowth. Around 2,500 youth from diverse backgrounds, selected through a merit-based, multi-stage process, became part of VBYLD– 2025. Over 6 crore youth and others witnessed the event through various social media platforms. The Viksit Bharat Challenge, a four- stage competition, was conducted through quiz, essay, PPT Challenge and Championship, with the Viksit Bharat Quiz attracting 28,31,200 participants. Youth were encouraged to express about various aspects of Viksit Bharat, dream big and work towards the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047. (f) A total of 28 National Youth Festivals have been organized so far. (g) The Government proposes to organise the 29th National Youth Festival, 2026 in the form of the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue (VBYLD), continuing the restructured format introduced in 2025. The event is planned by this Ministry in a structured and sustained manner, with the objective of enhancing youth engagement at the national level. The VBYLD 2026 will ensure broad-based participation from all States and Union Territories, reflecting the diversity and aspirations of youth across the country. *****