New Delhi, Aug 5 (INB) The Ministry of Education opened online registrations for Yuva Sangam Phase VII under the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (EBSB) initiative, with applications invited from youth aged 18-30 years till August 18, according to an official statement. The ministry said students of higher education institutions, National Service Scheme (NSS) volunteers, Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) volunteers and young professionals are eligible to apply through the programme’s official portal ebsb.aicte-india.org/ For the seventh phase of the initiative, 20 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), including IITs, IIMs, Central Universities and NITs, have been identified as nodal institutions to host and facilitate the youth exchange programme. Selected participants will undertake five to seven-day educational and cultural tours, excluding travel days, to paired States and Union Territories, where they will be exposed to local traditions, educational institutions, governance initiatives, innovation ecosystems, industries, heritage sites and community life. The ministry said in its statement, issued on Tuesday, Yuva Sangam is a flagship programme of the Department of Higher Education aimed at strengthening emotional bonds and promoting mutual understanding among youth from different parts of the country under the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat initiative. The programme is based on five thematic pillars — Paryatan (Tourism), Parampara (Traditions and Culture), Pragati (Development and Governance), Paraspar Sampark (People-to-People Connect) and Prodyogiki (Technology and Innovation) — and aligns with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, it said. The ministry encouraged eligible youth to participate in the programme to experience India’s cultural diversity and contribute to the vision of national integration.
