08-01-2026 : The Hon’ble Governor flagged off the Uttarakhand delegation participating in the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue–2026, scheduled to be held in New Delhi from January 9 to 12, 2026

Governor Flags Off Uttarakhand’s National Delegation for Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue–2026

Governor’s Mantra to Youth: Be Natural, Visionary, Self-Reliant, Innovative, Determined and Compassionate

Emphasises ‘Nation First’, Sense of Duty, Goal-Oriented Efforts, Self-Control and Big Thinking to Realise the Dream of a Developed India

The Hon’ble Governor of Uttarakhand, Lieutenant General Gurmit Singh (Retd.), on Thursday flagged off the Uttarakhand delegation participating in the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue–2026, scheduled to be held in New Delhi from January 9 to 12, 2026, at Lok Bhavan.

Interacting with the youth and participants, the Governor said that India’s youth is not merely a demographic dividend, but a demographic driving force. He urged the participants to clearly define their goals and to regularly document their mission, learnings, and daily experiences in a personal diary. He encouraged them to make the best use of the opportunity to represent Uttarakhand at the national level and to share their experiences not only with their peers but also with society at large. He said that a true leader thinks not only of oneself, but of the collective good, and reminded the participants that they are future leaders of the nation.

Motivating the youth, the Governor said that Uttarakhand is a land of spirituality, yoga, and penance, with a unique cultural heritage, traditions, hospitality, and rich medicinal biodiversity. He encouraged the participants to build their own distinct identity inspired by these values. Highlighting the growing dominance of technology, he stated that 2026 will be a defining year of technological advancement, and therefore urged the youth to continuously upgrade their skills, develop a strong personal aura, expand their thinking, and cultivate a broad and progressive mindset, as the vision of a developed India demands youth with expansive and forward-looking thought.

It is noteworthy that every year, on the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, National Youth Day is celebrated, during which a national-level youth festival is organised. This year, under the same framework, the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue–2026 is being organised at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, as an event of national significance.

A total of 76 youths from Uttarakhand are participating in various competitive categories. Their selection has been carried out through multiple levels of competitions. In cultural categories, 24 participants were selected for national participation after successfully clearing block-level, district-level, and state-level youth festival competitions.

Under the intellectual categories, participants were selected through a multi-stage hybrid process. The state-level PPT and Leadership Assessment rounds were conducted on January 3 and 4, 2026, in the presence of observers from the Government of India, following which 42 participants were selected.

On this occasion, Director, Youth Welfare, Dr. Ashish Chauhan, Additional Director Mr. Rakesh Dimri, and other concerned youth representatives were present.