Indus Valley Times

By Nalini Sahu

Bhubaneswar, April 14: The Y20 Consultations, the two-day event organized under the aegis of G20, began at KIIT DU on Friday. Policymakers from around the world gathered to highlight the pivotal role of youth in building a prosperous and peaceful society.

The event was inaugurated by Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and Environment, Forest and Climate Change, who encouraged the younger generation to emulate the life and principles of Swami Vivekananda and strive to make India a leading nation in the 21st century.

Choubey emphasized, “Youths hold the future of this great nation. They have a crucial role to play in the development process that will bring peace and prosperity to society.” He also applauded the accomplishments of KIIT and its students in various sectors.

The participants were welcomed and felicitated by Dr. Achyuta Samanta, the Founder of KIIT and KISS.

The Y20 Consultations brought together students, educators, business leaders, and spiritual leaders from India and G20 countries. The forum provided a platform for youths to raise awareness of global issues, exchange ideas, share innovative thoughts, engage in discussions, and negotiations, and reach a consensus. The outcomes of the deliberations will be presented at the G20 meeting later this year, presided over by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this year.

Tusharkanti Behera, Minister of State for Home, Sports, and Youth Services, Government of Odisha, highlighted the importance of the theme of the Y20 Consultations, “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (the world is one family), and emphasized the need for youths to come together and work towards preserving cultural heritage and promoting national integrity.

Behera also lauded the sporting achievements of Odisha’s youths, mentioning that three out of six students have been selected from the state to participate in the NASA Rover Challenge 2023 in the USA.

Meeta Rajivlochan, Union Secretary of Youth Affairs and Sports, expressed her admiration for the transformation of KIIT into one of the country’s top institutes in just 25 years. She stated that KIIT was the “appropriate institute” to host the Y20 Consultations, as young people are shaping the future in various ways. The outcomes of the deliberations will be presented at the Y20 summit to be held in Varanasi in August.

The event saw speeches from prominent personalities such as Virendra Sharma, Member of Parliament from the UK; Robert Pittenger, Former US Congressman from North Carolina; Dr. Niklaus Samuel Gugger, Member of Parliament from Switzerland; Ricky Kej, three-time Grammy award winner and Prof. Sasmita Samanta, Vice Chancellor of KIIT DU. The vote of thanks was proposed by the Pro Vice Chancellor of KIIT DU Saranjit Singh.