ITANAGAR, Jan 8: Sports and Youths Minister, Mama Natung, said he strongly believes that all 71 youths who left today to participate in the 27th National Youth Festival (NYF) will not only showcase their exclusive talents but also bring laurels to the state by winning in the competitions.  
Natung told this to reporters during the flag- off ceremony of the contingent, which will be participating in the 27th NYF, 2024, to be held in Nashik, Maharashtra from January 12 to 18 next.
The youths will be competing against  participants from 28 other countries. The competitions encircled folk dance, folk songs, story writing, poster making, photography, and more. He said every possible assistance to the participants will be provided by the state department of youth affairs.  
He also said that the NYF is an approach towards making youths of the country self-reliant as well as encouraging the vision of PM Narendra Modi of ‘Vikshit Bharat @2047’. The government believes that it is the youths' voice and their participation which can integrate towards building India as a developed nation.
“Moreover, it’s the youths who can fulfil the dream of the PM to make Vikshit Bharat by the year 2047, when the country will be celebrating its 100 years of independence,” he added.
On the sidelines, Natung also asked leaders of sports organisations having issues in availing the incentive provided by the sports department to the athletes in national events to place the matter to him. The incentives to the athletes are being disbursed every year during the National Sports Day celebration.  
However, it should be clear among the athletes and the leaders of sports organisations that the department only provides incentives to the achievers and not the entire athletes participating in the event.
“It is the laid down rule that only winners with medals are felicitated with incentive by the state government. But there is no such rule to reimburse the expenditure of to-and-fro of every individual athlete participating in every event,” he said, adding that those athletes participating in national games may submit bills for reimbursement in the department.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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