IT News
Imphal, Jan. 16: Participants from North East India in the ongoing National Youth Festival organised by Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Govt. of India in collaboration with State Govt. of Uttar Pradesh went on a protest demonstration after organisers allegedly discriminated them during the 5 days (12- 16 January, 2018) youth festival.
The youth festival, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi on the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda (12 January) through Video conferencing is currently undergoing at Gautam Buddha University, Gautam Budh nagar, Greater Noida.
Informing about the incident over the phone, Sanatomba Takhellambam, team leader of Manipur State, said that they were treated in a step-motherly attitude during the course of the festival from the sides of the organisers and other fellow Neharu Yuva Kendra (NYK) participants from the other states of India.
The organiser is deliberately making efforts to look down the participants of North East during the festival. They were not given time for performing their performances and left in lurch without any proper treatment, alleged the team leader, Sanatomba.
Another, team leader from Nagaland, Asin Tep said that even one of the woman officials of the organising committee allegedly called the participants from North Eastern states as “fool” and “untalented”. The organiser also ridiculed the participants as foreigners for not knowing and speaking Hindi language.
Taking the issue to the higher authority, the participants also made a written complaint to the Director General of Neharu Yuva Kendra Sangathan, New Delhi intimidating about their dissatisfaction, grievances and against the mismanagement of the national youth festival.
In the complaint, it was said that mistreatment was meted out against the participants of North East, while the Nagaland team was made waiting upto 17 hours for accommodation, beside the team was not allowed to take part in sports activities during the festival.
Around 200 participants are taking part in the festival, which aims to provide an arena by creating a “Mini-India”, where youth interact in formal and informal settings and exchange their social and cultural uniqueness.
