Rourkela, February 25: The NIT Rourkela team on Saturday welcomed 25 participants from Sikkim and five faculty/staff of NIT Sikkim for a week-long exposure tour to Odisha under the Yuva Sangam Programme.
The Yuva Sangam youth exchange programme under the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (EBSB) –Yuva Sangam programme is an initiative by the Ministry of Education, to strengthen people-to-people connections, especially between youth belonging to north eastern India and other States.
During their visits, the youth will have a multi-dimensional exposure to five broad areas –tourism, traditions, development, technology, and people-to-people connect.
Boarding on Ispat Train, the team from Sikkim reached the smart city Rourkela around 1.30 PM today. Dignitaries from NIT Rourkela, Prof. Rohan Dhiman (Registrar), Prof. S. Jena (Dean, Student Welfare), Prof. Anil K. Singh (Head, Safety and Security), coordinators of Yuva Sangam-NIT Rourkela and a few student volunteers welcomed the team at the station.
Representatives from IRCTC also joined the team for their warm welcome. The Sikkim troop also witnessed a folk Dhol play and dance by artisans at the station and received welcoming applauses from people there.
As NIT Rourkela has been chosen as the Nodal Institute for Odisha and paired with NIT Sikkim to host the Yuva Sangam youth exchange programme, NIT Rourkela will organize the five-day tour (excluding arrival and departure day from 25th Feb to 3rd March 2023).
The tour plan includes visits to different academic institutions, tourist places, notable industries, etc., like Rourkela Steel Plant, Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium & Indoor Stadium and other sports facilities around the city, Hanuman Vatika, Vedvyas Temple and Vaishnodevi Temple, Jagannath Temple, IIM Sambalpur, Hirakud Dam, Samalei Mandir Self Help Group visits etc.
The nodal officer for Yuva Sangam (Youth Exchange Programme) Odisha, Prof. Winny Routray, said, “Team NIT Rourkela will put every possible effort to leave a long-lasting impression of a state with heritage, culture and welcoming smiles in your hearts.”
Today, in the evening (6.30 PM onwards), a cultural programme is being organized at NIT Rourkela. The programme will showcase the cultural aspect of Odisha in the form of dance and music. In the august presence of Prof. K. Umamaheshwar Rao (Director), kids from different schools from the city will perform, representing the art and culture of India and Odisha.
This programme is being organized in collaboration with various other ministries and departments, including Education, Culture, Tourism, Railways, Information & Broadcasting, Youth Affairs & Sports, Home Affairs, Department for Development of North-East Region (DoNER) and IRCTC.
Around 1,000 youth will participate in the pilot tour of Yuva Sangam. This project uniquely connects and strengthens the bond between young people of the north eastern States and the rest of India.
