New Delhi: Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs and Sports Col Rajyavardhan Rathore (Retd) today launched the National Youth Parliament Festival 2019 here, thereby beginning the celebration of the National Youth Day 2019.
Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, in his Mann Ki Baat address on 31stDecember 2017, had shared his idea of organizing Youth Parliaments for young people in every district of the country. It is to provide a chance to the youth to brainstorm about new India and to find ways and chalk out plans to realize our resolves before 2022. He reiterated his idea to capture the voice of the youth in his address to the youth during the 22nd National Youth Festival on 12th January 2018. 
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports proposes to take the Youth Festival to each district of the country and celebrate it as the “National Youth Parliament Festival”. Organising District Youth Parliaments and taking the festival to the doorsteps of the youth would provide an opportunity to large number of youth of this country to participate.
National Youth Parliament Festival 2019 is organised on the theme of “Be The Voice of New India” and “Find solutions and contribute to policy”. Youth in the age bracket of 18-25 years are invited to participate in the District Youth Parliaments. This is done in order to hear the voice of youth in this age bracket who are allowed to vote but cannot contest in elections. The National Youth Parliament Festival will also encourage the youth to engage with public issues, understand the common man’s point of view, form their opinion and express these in an articulate manner. Relevant and effective voices on the vision of New India would be captured and documented to make these available to policy makers and implementers to take it forward.
The National Youth Parliament Festival 2019 will be conducted at three levels:
I.District Youth Parliament (DYP) at the district level. The participants for DYP would be selected through two screening processes i.e. Digital and Walk-in screenings in Nodal Institution in each district.
II. State Youth Parliament (SYP) at the State Level.
III. National Youth Parliament (NYP) at the National Level.
A maximum of 50 best speakersfrom the Digital screening and 50 best speakers from Walk-in process, shortlisted by the Screening Committee in each district, will participate in the District Youth Parliaments.The best three speakers selected by a Jury from each District Youth Parliament will participate at the State Youth Parliament. Similarly, the two best speakers selected from each State Youth Parliament will participate as speakers in the National Youth Parliament. The highest scorer from each District in the District Youth Parliament (DYP) will participate in the National Youth Parliament (NYP) as a delegate.
The process is being initiated with effect from today, the 12th of January 2019 and will continue up to 24th February 2019. The National Service Scheme and Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangthan organizations will remain involved at different levels in its conduct and management. The best three speakers at the National Youth Parliament will be awarded Rs. 2 Lakhs, Rs. 1.50 Lakhs and Rs. 1 Lakh respectively by the Prime Minister.
It is expected that more than 50 thousand youth will participate through Youth Parliaments at all levels and the narrative will be strengthened and made more vibrant by their voices and ideas and suggestions.
