The 61st National Conference of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, organised in Bhubaneswar from November 26 to 29, resolved to develop intellectual leadership in university campuses. The newly elected general secretary Binay Bidre said the young intellectual leadership from campuses will positively put forth ideas and issues that could build opinion of people at large. He said there is nexus of people who in disguise are spreading misinformation to mislead people against the spirit of national character and trying to stall development.
Over 1000 student representatives representing all states deliberated for four days in the temple city Bhubaneswar. While four resolutions on issues of national and international importance were discussed and passed the karyakartas deliberated on the issues confronting youth of the nation in threadbare and chalked out geographical and social expansion of ABVP to all campuses.
The Conference unanimously felt that a comprehensive education policy is need of the hour. Demanding at least 6 per cent share of national budget for education, ABVP demanded boosting self-esteem of every Bharateeya student through introduction of basic courses on glorious past of the nation and in all streams of the education. It has to be made mandatory.
The Conference said there is an unholy nexus between terrorism and pseudo secular forces which is directed against the self-Interest of Bharat.
The Conference called upon the youth to identify pseudo secular forces and expose them and fight them back with youth movement especially in campuses. Expressing concern over the long neglect of North-Eastern states by successive Governments, the Conference wished to strengthen people-to-people contact of North-East and rest of the country. Citing the experiment of Students’ Experience in Interstate living (SEIL), the ABVP conference sought cooperation from all sections of youth to take it forward.
Prof Yeswant Rao Kelkar Youth Award was conferred on Imtiaz Ali of Bhopal for his outstanding contribution to the uplift of rag pickers and generation of alternative non-coal fuel from plastic wastes. Ali’s experiment known as ‘Bhopal Model’ has been adopted in various urban bodies of the country and has got overseas order to take their good work abroad.
Presenting the Award Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan said that his Ministry though has technical knowhow to convert plastic into alternative fuel, the challenge is to collect plastic wastes and bring it to a single point for processing. He said Imtiaz Ali’s model of creating network of rag pickers to smoothly transfer from one hand to another and finally to processing point is eye opener.
Earlier, inaugurating the conference, leading economist and member of NITI Aayog Prof Bibek Debroy said Bharat is destined to grow, as for the first time the country has a leader who is taking pride in the country. He said when Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks the entire nation gets charged. This will ensure people to come out and contribute their best for the country. He said Government on its own cannot do everything. However he reposed absolute faith in the youth of the country and said if they are ignited to work hard the destiny of the nation can be put to fasttrack of development and nobody can hold back the speed it would run.
Noted writer Amish Tripathy was the chief guest. The Conference began with Odisha’s Anthem ‘Bande Utkal Janani’ composed by Kantakabi Laxminant Mohapatra.
Samanwaya Nanda
