**Executive Summary**
This document contains the answer given by the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports to Unstarred Question No. 1555 in Lok Sabha, scheduled for February 9, 2026, regarding the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue (VBYLD) 2026. The answer provides details on youth participation, tracks and themes, regional representation, impact assessment, and enhancements compared to VBYLD 2025. There are no specific deadlines or action items outlined in the document.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **VBYLD 2026 Participation:**
* Youth from across India participated under five tracks of the National Youth Festival (NYF): VBYLD 2026.
* The Viksit Bharat Quiz, the first stage of Viksit Bharat Challenge Track, was hosted on MY Bharat and MyGov platforms with over 5 million youth participants.
* 39,463 youth submitted Essays through MY Bharat Portal, out of which 3,370 participated in the PPT Challenge at the State level.
* Selected youth got an opportunity to participate in the Viskit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue (VBYLD) 2026 held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi during 9th -12th January, 2026.
* **NYF: VBYLD 2026 Tracks:**
* The VBYLD 2026 was structured across multiple tracks aimed at leadership development, innovation, cultural exchange, and youth participation.
* The number of participants at the national level for each track are:
* Viksit Bharat Challenge Track: 1164
* Cultural and Innovation Track: 970
* Design for Bharat Track: 38
* Hack for a Social Cause Track: 57
* Diaspora Youth: 78
* The Viksit Bharat Challenge track includes 10 themes with 1164 participants.
* **Regional Representation:**
* Details of participants from North Eastern States, Jammu and Kashmir, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Ladakh are provided. (See Table 1 on the 3rd page of the document for specific statewise numbers)
* **Impact Assessment:**
* VBYLD 2026 promotes social cohesion, cultural understanding, and national unity.
* It achieves this through inclusive design, diverse participation, and collaborative problem-solving.
* However, the Government has not undertaken an assessment of the impact of VBYLD 2026.
* **Enhancements Compared to VBYLD 2025:**
* VBYLD 2026 has been significantly expanded and recalibrated in terms of scale, inclusivity, content, and outcomes.
* While VBYLD 2025 primarily focused on national-level youth challenges and cultural engagements, VBYLD 2026 added three new tracks: Design for Bharat, Hack for a Social Cause, and Diaspora Youth.
* The content framework evolved from challenge and culture-centric to a more solution-oriented and future-ready platform.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholder: Youth Participants**
* **Impact:** Youth across India are given an opportunity to engage in leadership development, innovation, and cultural exchange through participation in the VBYLD 2026.
* **Action Required:** Engage in the various tracks and themes offered, and take action to bring the developed solutions to action.
**Stakeholder: Government of India, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports**
* **Impact:** Accountable for the planning, execution, and reporting of the VBYLD 2026, aiming to promote social cohesion and national unity.
* **Action Required:** Continue to refine and expand the scope of VBYLD to increase inclusivity and impact, and consider undertaking impact assessment for future programs.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports: The Indian government ministry responsible for youth affairs and sports, answering questions related to the VBYLD program.
Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue (VBYLD): A youth engagement program focused on leadership, innovation, and national unity. (Specifically VBYLD 2026)
National Youth Festival (NYF): The broader framework within which VBYLD is organized.
MY Bharat: Platform used for participation in programs related to Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue (VBYLD).
India: The geographic area to which the policy applies.
Government of India
Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports
Department of Youth Affairs
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1555
TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.02.2026
Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2026
1555. Shri Tejasvi Surya:
Will the Minister of YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS be pleased to state:
(a) the details of the total number of youth participated in the Viksit
Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue (VBYLD) 2026;
(b) the details of the various tracks and themes under VBYLD 2026
along with the number of participants under each track and theme;
(c) the details of the number of participants from the North Eastern
States, State-wise, Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Territories of
Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Ladakh;
(d) whether the Government has undertaken any assessment of the
impact of VBYLD 2026 in promoting social cohesion, cultural
understanding and national unity among participating youth and if so,
the details thereof; and
(e) the details of the steps taken by the Government to improve and
enhance VBYLD 2026 in terms of scale, inclusivity, content and
outcomes as compared to VBYLD 2025?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS
[DR. MANSUKH MANDAVIYA]
(a) Youth from all over India participated under five different tracks
of National Youth Festival (NYF): Viskit Bharat Young Leaders
Dialogue (VBYLD) 2026. The Viksit Bharat Quiz, first stage of Viksit
Bharat Challenge Track was hosted on the MY Bharat and MyGov
platforms and witnessed participation from more than 50 lakh youth
from all States and Union Territories. Thereafter, 39,463 youth
submitted Essays through MY Bharat Portal. Out of which, 3,370
Page 1 of 4youth participated in the PPT Challenge at the State level and
selected youth got an opportunity to participate in the Viskit Bharat
Young Leaders Dialogue (VBYLD) 2026 held at Bharat Mandapam,
New Delhi during 9th -12th January, 2026.
(b) NYF: VBYLD 2026 was structured across multiple tracks aimed at
leadership development, innovation, cultural exchange and youth
participation. The major tracks and number of participants at
National level event of NYF: VBYLD 2026 under each track are as
follows:
Name of Track No. of Participants
Viksit Bharat Challenge Track 1164
Cultural and Innovation Track 970
Design for Bharat Track 38
Hack for a Social Cause Track 57
Diaspora Youth 78
Total 2307
Under Viksit Bharat Challenge track there were 10 themes. Theme
wise participation at national level of NYF 2026: VBYLD are as
follows:
Theme No. of
Participants
Aatmanirbhar Bharat: Make in India, Make for the 114
World
Bharat’s Soft Power: Cultural Diplomacy and Global 120
Influence for Viksit Bharat
Building a future-ready workforce for Viksit Bharat 120
Building a Sustainable and Green Viksit Bharat 110
Enhancing Productivity through Smart and 114
Sustainable Agriculture
Fit Bharat Hit Bharat 100
Innovation with Tradition: Building a Modern Bharat 117
Making India the Start-Up Capital of the World 108
Women Led Development: The Key to Viksit Bharat 124
Youth in Democracy and Government for Viksit 137
Bharat
Total 1164
Page 2 of 4(c) The details of participants from the North Eastern States, Jammu
and Kashmir, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Ladakh at national
level event of NYF 2026: VBYLD are given below:
Region State / Union Territory Total Number of
Participants
North Eastern States Arunachal Pradesh 44
Assam 66
Manipur 45
Meghalaya 51
Mizoram 33
Nagaland 34
Sikkim 54
Tripura 64
Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir 54
Andaman and Nicobar Andaman and Nicobar 48
Islands Islands
Ladakh Ladakh 32
(d) Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue (VBYLD) 2026 promotes
social cohesion, cultural understanding and national unity among
participating youth through its inclusive and participatory design.
The programme brings together youth from diverse regions, socio-
economic backgrounds and disciplines through a pan-India selection
process, enabling meaningful interaction and collaboration.
Structured thematic deliberations, group-based activities and
innovation tracks encourage collective problem-solving on national
priorities, fostering a shared sense of purpose. Cultural exchanges
and exposure to diverse perspectives strengthen mutual respect and
understanding, while joint engagements with national leaders and
experts reinforce a common national vision. Collectively, these
elements help build unity in diversity and strengthen the sense of
national integration among participating youth. However, no
assessment of the impact of VBYLD 2026 has been carried out.
(e) Compared to VBYLD 2025, the Government significantly expanded
and recalibrated VBYLD 2026 in terms of scale, inclusivity, content
and outcomes. While VBYLD 2025 focused primarily on national-level
youth challenges and cultural engagements through a district–State–
national competitive framework, VBYLD 2026 retained this structure
but enlarged its scope with the addition of three new tracks. The
Page 3 of 4content framework evolved from being largely challenge- and culture-
centric in 2025 to a more solution-oriented and future-ready platform
in 2026 through the introduction of dedicated design and technology
innovation tracks aligned with national priorities. The Viksit Bharat
Quiz which was first stage of Viksit Bharat Challenge Track, hosted
on the MY Bharat and MyGov platforms, witnessed participation from
more than 50 lakh youth from all States and Union Territories.
Under this expanded framework, Design for Bharat track, Hack for a
Social Cause and Diaspora Youth Participation were introduced for
the first time in VBYLD 2026.
Design for Bharat track enabled youth to promote design-led
innovative solutions through a structured, multi-tier competition
involving design institutions across States and Union Territories,
culminating in national-level participation. Hack for a Social Cause
track enabled youth engagement in developing technology-driven and
implementable solutions to critical social challenges, supported by a
structured pipeline for mentorship, prototyping, pilot funding and
incubation.
Further, Diaspora Youth track was incorporated to systematically
engage Indian diaspora youth and leverage their global exposure,
innovation and best practices for nation-building under Viksit
Bharat@2047.
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