State to host National Youth Festival- 2012

BANGALORE:  Karnataka will play host to the five-day 17th National Youth Festival-2012 which will be held from January 12 to 16 next year - an event which is expected to witness the participation of as many five to six thousand persons.Director of Department of Youth Services and Sports (DYSS) V Chandrashekhar told Express on Wednesday that the event - a joint venture of the state and the Union ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and is being conducted annually on January 12 - coincide with the birth anniversary of one of India’s greatest spiritual leaders, Swami Vivekananda.He said that with youth from all 35 states and Union territories of the country expected to take part in the cultural extravaganza, it would foster national integration, brotherhood and communal harmony. Youth conventions, exhibitions and various competitions in music and dance, including classical and folklore variants, are some of the events that conprise the event’s itinerary. Last year, the event was conducted at Udaipur in Rajasthan. Chandrashekhar who assumed office on Wednesday informed that Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda held a preliminary meeting with the department officials on holding the NYF-2012 successfully, the venue for which has yet to be finalised. “The Union government will release about `2 crore for the event while the state government, too, would also release a matching grant,” he said.The director added that district level youth festivals, which would be held in the state from October 15, followed by a state level festival will be held to shortlist participants from the state for the NYF-2012. “Teams and groups excelling at the state level would represent Karnataka in the NYF-2012.” Also, members of the cultural team excelling at the national event would get an opportunity to represent the country in various international events.Chandrashekar exuded confidence over the state hosting the event for the first time and added that the DYSS would coordinate with various departments for successful conduct of the event. “Arrangements would take wing once the venue for the event gets finalised,” he said.