The third edition of the North East Youth Festival ended here on a ceremonial note with the lowering of the Festival Flag in presence of Chief Minister Nabam Tuki, his colleagues and hundreds of youths from the region as well as across the country.
The three-day festival, flagged off by Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Ninong Ering along with youth icon M C Mary Kom, witnessed various cultural and co-curricular activities and competitions.
The festival ended on Friday.
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About 1500 youths from at least 24 states including far-off States like Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan participated in the festival hosted by the Department of Sports and Youth Affairs, Arunachal Pradesh in collaboration with Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
Mr. Tuki, who missed out the opening ceremony on November 7, expressed gratitude to the organizers as well as M C Mary Kom, who humbly accepted the felicitation rendered by the state government during the opening ceremony.
She was awarded the cash award of Rs 10 lakhs by Mr. Ninong Ering as promised by the Chief Minister in his Independence Day speech last August.
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“Ours is a diverse country and the North Eastern States consists of tribal population with different culture, tradition and languages. During these three days of get together, I am sure that all the 1,500 plus delegates including NSS and Nehru Yuva Kendra Volunteers must have had the opportunity of understanding the rich culture, tradition, feelings and sentiments of each other,” he said in his speech.
Heaping praises on Ms. Mary Kom, Mr. Tuki beckoned the youths to step into the shoes of such icons and put all out efforts in bringing laurels for the nation.
To uplift the morale of the youths, he said the Government of Arunachal Pradesh has decided to give cash rewards to sportspersons who excel in various fields of sport in international levels.
“My government has already taken initiatives for development of youth through Skill Development Council and Employment Generation Council for youths,” he reiterated.
The Chief Minister said key issues which concerns the youth are universal in nature like education, health, employment, drug abuse and gender equity.
“We all are aware of these challenges and together we can address these problems,” he said on a positive note.
Mr. Tuki urged the youths to start preparing to shoulder the responsibility of developing the country and instil the feeling of oneness and brotherhood and stand united for positive and common cause keeping in-line with the motto of the festival - Youth for Unity.
The top three spot winners - Manipur, Mizoram and Assam - of the folk-dance competition were presented for the benefit of the guests, which were followed by performances by Vinyl Records from Delhi, Avancer from Nagaland, Omak Komut Collectives and others.