The fourth edition of the MY Bharat Chintan Shivir, themed “Viksit Yuva for Viksit Bharat”, began in Lucknow on Saturday, bringing together youth affairs officials from across the Central Region to formulate strategies for strengthening youth engagement and accelerating India’s journey towards becoming a developed nation by 2047.
Organised by the Department of Youth Affairs under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports through Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat), the two-day event is being held at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan. It has brought together senior officials from the Department, MY Bharat, the National Service Scheme (NSS), District Youth Officers, Regional Directors and field functionaries to deliberate on building an empowered and future-ready youth ecosystem.
Addressing the inaugural session, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports and Labour and Employment Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya said the Chintan Shivir was designed to foster dialogue, collaboration and the exchange of ideas among officers working at the grassroots level.
Describing MY Bharat as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for youth empowerment, Mandaviya said the platform is helping realise the Prime Minister’s goal of nurturing one lakh young leaders from every section of society.
He said MY Bharat seeks to connect young people with leadership development, character building and nation-building initiatives to help achieve the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047.
Urging District Youth Officers and NSS functionaries to work with a spirit of service and duty, Mandaviya said they should consider themselves facilitators of youth empowerment rather than administrators.
“Do not see your work merely as employment. Your responsibility is to enlighten and empower the youth of this country. When we work as service providers rather than authorities, the outcomes are always better,” he said.
The Union Minister also called on officials to intensify the ongoing MY Bharat registration drive until August 15 by reaching schools, colleges, universities and local communities.
“Take MY Bharat to every young citizen. Connect every eligible youth with the platform and transform this registration drive into a nationwide movement through your commitment and grassroots engagement,” he said.
In a major announcement, Mandaviya said the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue (VBYLD) would now be organised at the state level in addition to the national event, enabling greater participation by young leaders in India’s development journey.
Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Nikhil Khadse said MY Bharat has emerged as the country’s largest youth platform, with more than two crore registrations, reflecting growing youth participation in nation-building.
Highlighting the significance of the Chintan Shivir, she said the initiative has institutionalised dialogue-driven governance by enabling officials from different states to exchange experiences, discuss implementation challenges and jointly develop practical solutions.
“Without Samvaad, there can be no Samadhaan. The best solutions emerge from the experiences of our officers working on the ground,” Khadse said.
She reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to strengthening grassroots youth engagement through close cooperation between the Centre and states. Referring to the Viksit Vibrant Village Programme, she said it had reinforced the spirit of national integration and volunteerism among young people.
“If we all work together with one vision, we will fulfil the Sankalp of Viksit Bharat. The Ministry will continue to support every officer in taking youth initiatives to the last mile,” she added.
Uttar Pradesh Minister for Sports and Youth Welfare Girish Chandra Yadav described the Chintan Shivir as a collective effort to shape the nation’s future through empowered youth.
Calling MY Bharat a movement of innovation, patriotism and youth leadership, he said it would play a key role in achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047.
“When youth are awakened, not only plans and institutions change—the nation changes itself,” he said, urging officials to transform every Gram Panchayat, block and educational institution into centres of youth leadership and community action.
Department of Youth Affairs Secretary Dr. Pallavi Jain Govil said the fourth Chintan Shivir marked another step towards making departmental deliberations more outcome-oriented.
She said the Department is working to strengthen convergence between MY Bharat and the National Service Scheme while promoting meaningful youth participation beyond registrations.
“Registration alone is not our destination. The real objective is to build stronger platforms for nation-building, experiential learning and meaningful youth engagement,” she said.
The inaugural session was followed by technical discussions on the MY Bharat portal, digital youth onboarding, the MY Bharat-NSS fund flow mechanism, interdepartmental convergence and the Annual Action Plan 2026-27. Officials from Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh also presented successful grassroots initiatives in areas such as experiential learning, volunteer mobilisation, youth clubs and programme implementation.
MY Bharat Chief Executive Officer Dr. Priyanka Shukla highlighted the ongoing “Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat” campaign, under which three-tier cultural competitions will culminate in the National Youth Summit in Delhi to promote awareness against substance abuse and encourage community participation.
The first day concluded with the formation of thematic working groups to refine recommendations for presentation on the final day, reaffirming the Department’s focus on collaborative governance and strengthening the MY Bharat ecosystem to build a developed India through empowered youth.
