Chandigarh, August 1: Punjab Governor and Administrator, UT Chandigarh, Shri Gulab Chand Kataria, today convened a meeting with the Vice Chancellors of various universities of Punjab to discuss the implementation of the Viksit Bharat Yuva Connect Program, launched by the Government of India to actively engage youth aged between 15 and 29 years.

As part of this nationwide initiative, the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, will address the youth of the country on International Youth Day, 12th August 2025, and interact with them to gather their aspirations and inputs for building a Viksit Bharat @2047.

Addressing the Vice Chancellors through video conference, Shri Kataria said that the Government of India has been consistently working to empower the youth. With the New Education Policy and a strong focus on skill development and start-ups, the youth have become vital partners in building Viksit Bharat @2047. He expressed confidence that the youth of Punjab will lead the way in contributing to this vision of a developed and empowered India across all sectors.

The Governor highlighted the pivotal role of universities in mobilizing youth participation and urged the Vice Chancellors to ensure timely registration of their institutions and students on the My Bharat App, the official digital platform for this initiative.

He further instructed universities to actively organize and promote the activities listed on the My Bharat App. These include debates, declamations, youth parliaments, poster-making competitions, and other engagement programs. Shri Kataria emphasized that sincere efforts should be made to engage, enable, encourage, and inspire maximum student participation in these Youth Connect initiatives, as envisioned by the Prime Minister.

The Governor also urged the universities to implement the New Education Policy focusing on Skill Development and fostering Democratic Values among youth.

The Vice Chancellors assured the Governor that preparations are already underway and that various activities under the Youth Connect Program are being planned and implemented across their institutions.