New Delhi: The Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports (I/C) Shri Kiren Rijiju here today conferred the National Youth Awards on individuals (aged between 15-29 years) and organizations for excellent work and contribution in different fields of development and social service, such as health, promotion of human rights, active citizenship, community service etc.
The objective of the awards given by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Department of Youth Affairs is to motivate young persons to achieve excellence in the field of national development and social service, to encourage young people to develop a sense of responsibility to the community and thus to improve their own personal potential as good citizens and to give recognition to the outstanding work done by voluntary organizations working with the youth for national development including social service.
During the National Youth Awards Function, Shri Kiren Rijiju also inaugurated a Photo Exhibition on “China through Eyes of Indian Youth – 2019”. It was an exhibition of photos taken by youth delegates who participated in the recent Youth Exchange Program to China.
NYA 2016-17 was conferred upon the following 20 individuals and 3 organizations:
| S. No. | Name | State |
| Individual Category | ||
| 1. | Rohit Kumar Kashyap | Uttar Pradesh |
| 2. | Vinit Devidas Malpure | Maharashtra |
| 3. | Momota Thounaojam | Manipur |
| 4. | Nitesh Kumar Sahu | Chhattisgarh |
| 5. | Oddiraju Vamshikrishna | Telangana |
| 6. | Prince Singhal | Jharkhand |
| 7. | Apoorv Om | Delhi |
| 8. | A G Padmanaban | Tamil Nadu |
| 9. | Onkar Rajiv Navalihalkar | Maharashtra |
| 10. | Gattem Venkatesh | Andhra Pradesh |
| 11. | Kh Krishna Mohan Singha | Assam |
| 12. | Prudhvi Golla | Andhra Pradesh |
| 13. | Raju Gorai | West Bengal |
| 14. | Rahul Dabur | Haryana |
| 15. | Hansraj Khatawaliya | Rajasthan |
| 16. | Priteesh Kumar | Uttar Pradesh |
| 17. | Mrityunjay Dwivedi | Uttar Pradesh |
| 18. | Mitesh Gajjar | Gujarat |
| 19. | Subrat Kumar Das | Odisha |
| 20. | Manu Kamboj | Rajasthan |
| Organization Category | ||
| 1. | Eco-Pro Bahuuddeshiya Sanstha, Chandrapur | Maharashtra |
| 2. | Care and Share Foundation | Manipur |
| 3. | Samutkars Yuva Vikas Navyuvak Mandal | Rajasthan |
The individual award comprises of a medal, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 50,000/-. The award to a youth organisation includes a medal, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 2,00,000/-. In addition, 3 awards were also conferred to individuals for the Photo Exhibition on “China through Eyes of Indian Youth – 2019”.
Congratulating the winners of the awards and greeting everyone on the occasion of the International Youth Day, Sh Rijiju said that the Ministry is organizing various programmes to motivate youth, under the guidance of Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narender Modi ji. The National Youth Awards Function is one such programme. He stressed that India is a young country filled with immense potential. The development of the country is in the hands of youth who can shape its future. If the energy of youth is channelized in right direction, the progress of country in various fields can gain momentum, and youth can become prosperous. The Minister said that the youth are idealistic, aim high and when they achieve their goals through their efforts, it becomes necessary to grant recognition to their efforts, which has been attempted through this program. Sh Rijiju said that the awards give recognition as well as encouragement to the winners, but at the same time gives them onerous responsibility to carry forward the good work being done by them. He said that one should not age in thoughts and action, and should remain young at heart.
