19 September 2022, Bharat: A first-ever working committee of eminent parliamentarians from various political parties and Vidhan Sabha/Council Speakers/Chairmen from many States and Union Territories met in Pune on the 16th day of September 2022, to decide on the organization of National Young Legislators’ Conference (NYLC or Rashtriya Yuva Vidhayak Sammelan). Today’s working committee meeting was co-chaired by the noted former Speakers of Lok Sabha – Shri Shivraj Patil, Smt. Meira Kumar and Smt. Sumitra Mahajan. The incumbent and former Speakers of State Assemblies and Chairpersons of Legislative Councils from more than 15 States and former Chief Election Commissioners and a few former bureaucrats also participated in the deliberations. The proposed dates for the organization of NYLC are 16,17 & 18 June 2023 at either Goa or Mumbai, Maharashtra. Shri Pramod Sawant , Hon’ble Chief Minister of Goa, also joined the meeting virtually and offered before all the members at the meeting to host the proposed conference in Goa, where he has proposed to extend complete support of the Goa Government.
We are celebrating the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav currently and in another 2 years we will be entering into the 75th year of implementation of our Constitution. The NYLC will connect these two memorable achievements in the history of our country by bringing the young legislators from all across the country on one platform in a historic effort. These young legislators in the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, Vidhan Sabhas and Vidhan Parishads are the face of the immense aspirations of the youth of the nation. The young legislators shoulder the twin responsibilities of meeting the expectation of young people on the one hand and keeping pace with the changing technology on the other hand. The young legislators have to play a central role in bringing together new technology and youth energy to elevate the governance of the country. Overall, the youth and the young legislators are tasked with transforming our country from developing to the developed one in next two decades. Over 2700 young legislators are expected to brainstorm on their vision for the country and to deliberate on developing a collective mission.
This will be the first and the largest platform of young national and state legislators of our country working towards strengthening the democratic system and promoting national unity and integrity. The NYLC will build a cohesive ecosystem among the leaders from all the political parties and States as well as UTs of the country to foster peer-learning, to create a repository of case studies of governance, and to interlink policy formulation with the implementation aspects at the grassroot level.
More than 4,000 socially and politically active young citizens across Bharat including students, researchers, journalists, social entrepreneurs and representatives of local self-government bodies will also observe the proceedings of the NYLC to integrate their vision and efforts with that of the young legislators. The NYLC will not only strengthen the democratic fabric of our great ancient country but will also inspire the democracies across the world, and it will be a step towards Bharat becoming a Vishwa-Guru in the 21st century.
The NYLC will be organized jointly by the Legislative Bodies, Non-governmental institutions and the civil society with active support from the MIT School of Government, Pune which has been organizing several programmes in the past in national interest such as the Bharatiya Chhatra Sansad, National Women’s Parliament, Sarpanch Sansad etc. The NYLC will seek support from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the UNESCO.
Quotes:
Smt. Meira Kumar, Former Speaker of the Lok Sabha said, “It’s was a wonderful conference and the interaction we had in the evening both were positive and successful. I congratulate Mr. Rahul Karad and pay respect to his father Mr. Vishwanath Karad. They are the guiding spirit behind NYLC. ”
Shri Shivraj Patil, Former Speaker of the Lok Sabha said – “There are three very important aspects which are expected out of legislature. The first is making policy making, second is to make laws and third is to check that law are implemented. If young legislators are imparted knowledge of law, policy making, and administration at an early stage, this would in turn change the democratic shape of the country and yield good outcomes for society.”
Shri. N. Gopalaswami IAS (Retd.) Padma Bhushan, Chancellor, National Sanskrit University, Tirupati, Former Chief Election Commissioner of India said, “NYLC is a timely and necessary step which is being proposed. It’s a visionary idea of trying to reach out to the parliamentarians and legislators because they all will be spearheading the country in the years to come. So, it is pertinent to communicate with them and understand their vision, and what they want to do for the country irrespective of the party or ideology they come from.”
Shri Rahul V. Karad, Chief Initiator, MIT-SOG said “The time has come for our country’s Young Elected Representatives to rise above partisanship and work toward the creation of a Unified, Strong, and Developed Bharat that will address the aspirations of countless young, old, and women alike. Only a united India, led by a strong democratic leadership, can face the challenges of an increasingly divided world and show the international community the path to world peace. NYLC will be act as a catalyst of ideas and concept that will help to ignite and strengthen the sense of national unity and responsibility among the young legislators who will be the future of Bharat.”
