Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Monday called youth an engine which can propel a nation forward and advocated that they be exposed to "immediate surroundings and realities" to understand different cultures, an official said.Speaking at a workshop during the 63rd Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference here, Mahajan said: "Youth are engine to take the vehicle of family, society or nation forward... Youth are a great promise to each nation and additional efforts need to be made to expose them to their immediate surroundings and realities". Leading a delegation of parliamentarians, Mahajan also pointed out about India being one of the youngest countries, "with about 65 per cent of the population under 35 years of age", a statement from the Lok Sabha secretariat said.To exploit their potential, she advised policy makers to "give way to youth to express, to develop skills, to build competency and to gain confidence, because investment in youth is insurance for future".The parliamentarians are in Dhaka for the week-long conference which will end on November 8.