A high level delegation from Punjab led by the Sports and Youth Affairs Minister, Punjab, Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi attended the 3 day ‘Youth Parvasi Bharti Divas’ celebrations which commenced today at Varanasi. The minister exhorted the NRI Punjabi youth to connect with their roots back home in Punjab. He also extended the warm invitation to all the members of NRI diaspora to participate in the 550th Gurpurb celebrations of the first Sikh Guru Sahib Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, which are being organized by the Punjab Government. He also invited those who came to attend the ‘Youth Parvasi Bharti Divas’ celebrations to pay obeisance at Sri Darbar Sahib. The minister also exhorted the NRIs to be partners in the Tandarust Mission of the State Government and invest in their home state Punjab.Rana Sodhi further said that the Chief Minister, Captain Amarinder Singh has initiated a scheme titled ‘Connect with Your Roots’ which is aimed at helping the NRI community connecting with their roots back home. He said that the NRI Punjabis living abroad want their children to develop a bond with their roots, So anybody within the age of 16-22 years who has not visited Punjab can apply online. The Punjab Government would bear all the expenses of these children and they would be taken to visit the religious, historical and tourist places of States.
He also detailed that the State Government has created an atmosphere most congenial besides giving a facelift to the religious, historical as well as the tourist places in order to ensure hassle free experience for all the tourists and devotees.The Sports Minister also extended a warm invitation to the entire NRI community to participate in the 550th Gurpurab celebrations, which would last throughout the year, of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji. He also said that the Chief Minister, Captain Amarinder Singh has chalked out organizing special functions in this regard.The youth divas celebrations which got underway today at Varanasi saw the Union Minister for External Affairs Mrs. Sushma Swaraj, Union Sports Minister Mr. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Union Minister of State for External Affairs General (Retd.) V.K. Singh, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in attendance. Tomorrow, the Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi would attend the celebrations as the Chief Guest.The delegation of Punjab included Secretary, NRI Affairs, Mr. Rahul Bhandari, Principal Secretary Cultural Affairs and Tourism Mr. Vikas Pratap, and Director Tourism Mr. Malwinder Singh Jaggi.During the celebrations, Rana Sodhi also inaugurated the exhibition put up by the various institutions of Punjab such as PSIEC, Tourism Department, Markfed, PUDA, and GMADA. The minister also visited the exhibition hall and interacted with the NRI youth.