16 students from NIT Srinagar to participate in weeklong Yuva Sangam tour

Such tours are essential for all-round development of students: Dir NIT

Srinagar, Feb 23: 16 students from various departments of National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar on Thursday left for a weeklong exposure tour to Assam under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (EBSB), a pilot initiative by Government of India.

IIT Jammu is Nodal Higher Education Institution for Jammu and Kashmir and IIT Guwahati is the Paired Institution (for the pilot tour).

During the visit, the students will have a multi-dimensional exposure under five broad areas – Paryatan (Tourism), Parampara (Traditions), Pragati (Development), Prodyogik (Technology) and Paraspar Sampark (People-to-people connect).

Director NIT Srinagar Prof. (Dr.) Rakesh Sehgal said the idea behind the exposure tour is to promote respect and understanding for other cultures. Such programs will connect people from diverse backgrounds and create harmony between them, he said.

He showered his blessings to students for being selected in prestigious Yuva Sangam Tour under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat. It will provide an immersive experience of various facets of life, development landmarks, recent achievements, he said.

Prof. Sehgal said these tours are essential for all-around development of an individual and a nation. It will inculcate the qualities of brotherhood, mutual understanding among the students from across India,” he said.

Institute’s Registrar, Prof. Syed Kaiser Bukhari said such exposure will benefit students in a long way and help them to explore various cultures and diversities.

Prof. Bukhari also congratulated the selected students and stated that it is the best way of learning and enhancing their knowledge. Through such initiatives, students can experience other cultures and languages, rituals, fashion, traditions, cuisine, etc, he said.

 “The spirit of mutual understanding amidst a shared history has enabled a special unity in diversity, which stands out as a tall flame of nationhood that needs to be nourished in future,” Prof. Bukhari said.

Dr. Ranjeet Kumar Rout, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering is the Nodal officer and other coordinators of the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (EBSB).

He said that 121 students had registered for the Yuva Sangam Portal and 16 were selected.  During the five day tour, students will visit IIT Guwahati, Raj Bhavan at Kharghuli Hills, workshops, interactions and cultural programs.

The Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat program is aimed to strengthen people-to-people connect especially between youth. Under this program, 11 Higher Education Institutions from the North East and 14 from the rest of the country have been paired by the government.

The idea of a sustained and structured cultural connect between people of different regions was mooted by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi during the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas held on 31st October 2015, to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.