Manipur will be represented by 39 young leaders at the 29th National Youth Festival–2026, now rebranded as the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue, scheduled to take place from January 9 to 12 at Bharat Mandapam.
Ahead of the national event, Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla met the selected delegates at a send-off ceremony held at the Banquet Hall of Lok Bhavan in Imphal. Addressing the participants, he encouraged them to take part actively in discussions, exchange perspectives with fellow delegates from across India, and present the aspirations and innovative thinking of Manipur’s youth.
The delegates were selected through a rigorous four-stage process that included nationwide outreach, submission of thematic essays, state-level presentations, and final national-level interactions. The programme will culminate in track-wise presentations before Union Ministers, followed by a concluding ceremony to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The National Youth Festival has been organised annually since 1995 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda on January 12. In line with the Viksit Bharat @2047 vision, the festival has been restructured to focus on youth-led dialogue and policy-oriented ideas.
The ceremony was also attended by Youth Affairs and Sports Secretary N Praveen and Manipur University Vice-Chancellor N Lokendro.
