As a part of the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh's personal endeavour to connect the youngsters settled abroad with the motherland of their forefathers under the ‘Connect to Your Roots (CYR)’ scheme, the first batch of NRI young boys and girls from UK would visit Punjab from August 6-17, 2018.Sharing the details, Principal Secretary NRI Affairs SR Ladhar stated that this group would consist of 10 young boys and girls between age group of 16-22 years. He said that preference would be given to the boys and girls who were visiting Punjab for the first time however those who had visited earlier may also apply. Mr. Ladhar said that the state government would bear the entire expenditure regarding boarding and lodging of these youngsters.The Principal Secretary further said that the Punjab Government has appointed UK based NRI Varinder Singh Khera as Local Coordinator for CYR scheme who would coordinate with visiting batch and Officers of NRI Affairs Department of the state government. Khera had been asked to furnish all details regarding the visiting group by 30th June, he further informed.
Mr. Ladhar said that the group would be taken to Sri Harmandir Sahib, Jallianwala Bagh, Wagha Border (Indo-Pak Border) and War Memorial at Amritsar, Jang-e-Azadi Memorial Kartarpur (Jalandhar), Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh Memorial Banga, Khalsa Heritage Complex Anandpur Sahib, Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Punjab Civil Secretariat, Punjab & Haryana High Court besides stay in their ancestral village for a day or two and attending Independence Day celebration at one of the district headquarters are part of program. He said that the group would also be entertained with the traditional Punjabi cuisine and delicacies adding that depending upon the availability of the time, the youth may also be taken to the Punjab Agricultural University Ludhiana, Bhakra Dam Nañgal, one or two Industrial hubs of the state etc.It may be recalled that Punjab government’s unique `Connect with your roots’ (CYR) programme launched from London (UK) in September, 2017 by Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, where he exhorted young boys and girls, especially those who had never visited India, to participate in the two-week programme, which would provide them a platform to strengthen their roots within the country.