The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has launched a new digital initiative, ‘Friends of MY Bharat’, to strengthen engagement with Indian-origin youth living across the world and provide them opportunities to participate in India’s nation-building and youth-led programmes.
Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Khadse announced the dedicated digital module during the BRICS Youth Summit 2026 in Gandhinagar.
The initiative, developed through MY Bharat, will enable Indian-origin students, young professionals and other youth residing outside India to access information about nation-building activities, volunteering opportunities and youth programmes hosted on the MY Bharat platform.
The initiative seeks to channel the ideas, skills, experiences and aspirations of global Indian youth towards India’s development journey and the vision of Viksit Bharat.
Global Indian youth can register as ‘Friends of MY Bharat’
Under the initiative, Indian-origin youth will be able to register as a ‘Friend of MY Bharat’ and share information about their youth clubs or associations, including their activities and areas of engagement.
The platform will also provide information on volunteering opportunities in areas such as education, environmental protection, health awareness, disaster relief and cultural preservation. This will allow global Indian youth to participate in social initiatives being undertaken across India.
A dedicated ‘Know Your India’ section will offer curated information on India’s culture, heritage, history, tourism, travel and prominent leaders. The module will also showcase major MY Bharat initiatives and programmes of national significance.
The government said the initiative is aimed at enabling Indian-origin youth to deepen their connection with the country while creating opportunities for them to contribute to India’s development from wherever they are located.
Building a global youth engagement ecosystem
The ‘Friends of MY Bharat’ initiative is intended to create a sustained global youth engagement ecosystem by bringing together the energy, ideas, skills and aspirations of Indian-origin youth around the world.
The announcement was made in the presence of Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, Lok Sabha MP Hemang Joshi, Additional Secretary, Department of Youth Affairs, Nitesh Kumar Mishra, and youth leaders from BRICS and partner countries.
MY Bharat, or Mera Yuva Bharat, was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 31, 2023. It is a national youth platform focused on Seva, Kartavya and Jan Bhagidari and connects young people with experiential learning, volunteering, skills development, leadership, mentorship and national campaigns.
The platform seeks to empower young people to learn, lead and contribute to the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047.
