IIM Ahmedabad Hosts Odisha Youth Delegation Under Yuva Sangam Phase VI
Ahmedabad, Jun 1(TNT): The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) on Monday welcomed a 41-member youth delegation from Odisha as part of the Yuva Sangam Phase VI programme under the Centre’s Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat initiative, aimed at strengthening cultural exchange and national integration among young people.
The Odisha cohort, comprising 29 male and 12 female participants from various districts and educational institutions, will undertake a six-day immersive tour of Gujarat until June 6, with IIMA serving as the nodal institution for the programme in the state.
The participants were received during a welcome session attended by IIMA Director Professor Bharat Bhasker, Chief Administrative Officer and Yuva Sangam Nodal Officer Col. (Dr.) Jagdish C. Joshi (Retd.), and Advisor-IFM Brig. Dinesh Sharma (Retd.).
Addressing the participants, Bharat Bhasker highlighted the importance of programmes such as Yuva Sangam in fostering cultural understanding, experiential learning and national unity.
He said India’s rich diversity of languages, traditions, cuisines and cultural practices offered immense opportunities for learning and exchange, while initiatives like Yuva Sangam helped young people gain a deeper appreciation of the country’s social and developmental landscape.
The programme will provide participants from Odisha with first-hand exposure to Gujarat’s history, culture, governance models, industrial growth and innovation ecosystem.
During their stay, they will visit prominent landmarks and institutions including Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Adalaj Stepwell, Sabarmati Ashram, the Blind People’s Association, Ahmedabad’s heritage city area, local markets, Science City Ahmedabad, GIFT City and the Amul manufacturing facility.
The group is also scheduled to interact with Acharya Devvrat and experience traditional Gujarati cuisine as part of the cultural immersion programme.
Last week, IIMA had facilitated the reciprocal visit of a 39-member Gujarat delegation to Odisha, where participants attended a six-day immersion programme hosted by National Institute of Technology Rourkela from May 25 to 30.
The flag-off ceremony for the Gujarat delegation was attended by Major General Bimal Monga, SM, VSM, Additional Director General, NCC Directorate of Gujarat, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, along with Professor Bhasker.
Yuva Sangam is designed to promote people-to-people connections and national integration by enabling college students and young people to experience life, culture and development in states other than their own.
Structured around five themes—Paryatan (Tourism), Parampara (Traditions), Pragati (Development), Paraspar Sampark (People-to-People Connect) and Prodyogiki (Technology)—the programme seeks to provide participants with a holistic understanding of India’s cultural diversity and developmental achievements through immersive inter-state exposure visits.
TNT KM
