Union Minister of State (independent charge) for Skill Development, Entrepreneurship, Youth Affairs and Sports, Sarbananda Sonowal laid the foundation stone of youth training centre, inaugurated the newly constructed office building of Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan Delhi Zone.
Speaking on the occasion yesterday, the Minister said, "NYKS is the largest youth organization of its kind in the world working for development of rural youth with a variety of programmes and schemes. The core strength of NYKS is a network of 2.77 lakh village-level Youth Clubs spread across the country with total membership of about 80 lakh youth."
Sonowal said, the Government has recently launched National Youth Policy, 2014 for development and empowerment of youth in an integrated manner. The Department of Youth Affairs is in the process of formulating a new Scheme called "National Young Leaders Programme" for development of leadership skills among the youth and contributing to nation building activities by voluntary work including 'Shramdaan'.
He said, skills and knowledge are the driving forces of economic growth and social development of any country and his Ministry is working to provide marketable skills to the entire youth population of the country.
Sonowal added that the focus of this Special Youth Convention was to set the ball rolling for next five years for ensuring active partnership of NYKS in ambitious programmes announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi namely Swatchh Bharat Abhiyan and Jan Dhan Yojana.
Furthermore, he mentioned that NYKS volunteers have been in the forefront in organizing relief works in the floods affected areas. Over 200 volunteers were working round the clock in Assam at Lakhimpur, Dhemaji and Barapeta.
In J-K NYKS is providing community kitchens, shelter management and relief material distribution service at Jammu, Rajuri, Poonch, Udhampur and Kathua. About 700 youth volunteers are working at present in Jammu and Kashmir in relief work.
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Sonowal said NYKS has been recognized by Ministry of Home Affairs as the nodal agency for providing volunteers for disaster management.
Since its inception in 1987, NYKS has been making significant contribution towards rescue relief and rehabilitation during all disasters like super cyclone of Orissa 1999, Gujarat earth quake 2001, Tsunami of 2004 recent floods in Assam, J-K.
