New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the valedictory function of the second National Youth Parliament Festival (NYPF) on Tuesday, an event to hear the voice of youth between 18 and 25 years of age, who are allowed to vote and will join various careers in the coming years, including public services.

Modi will attend the event at 10.30 a.m. via video conferencing.

Three national winners of the festival will also express their views during the event, which is based on the idea given by the Prime Minister in his 'Mann Ki Baat' address on December 31, 2017.

Lok Sabha Speaker OM Birla, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' and Union MoS for Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju will also be present on the occasion.

Taking inspiration from the idea, the first NYPF was organised from January 12 to February 27, 2019 with the theme "Be the Voice of New India and Find solutions and Contribute to Policy".

A total of 88,000 youth participated in the programme.

The second NYPF was launched on December 23, 2020 through virtual mode. Around 2.34 lakh youth from across the country participated in the first stage. It was followed by State Youth Parliaments through virtual mode from January 1 to 5 this year.

The finals of the second NYPF will be held in the Central Hall of the Parliament on January 11. A total of 29 national winners will get an opportunity to speak before the national jury comprising of Rajya Sabha MP Roopa Ganguly, Lok Sabha MP Parvesh Sahib Singh, and eminent journalist Prafulla Ketkar. The top three winners will get an opportunity to speak before the Prime Minister in the valedictory function on January 12.

National Youth Festival is celebrated every year from January 12 to 16. January 12, being the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, is observed as National Youth Day. This year, NYPF is also being organized along with the National Youth Festival.

The objective of the National Youth Festival is to bring youth of the country together to showcase their talents; provide them an arena, by creating a mini-India, where youth interact in formal and informal settings and exchange their social and cultural uniqueness. It is also to promote national integration, spirit of communal harmony, brotherhood, courage and adventure. The basic aim is to propagate the spirit, essence and concept of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.

Due to Covid-19, the 24th National Youth Festival is being held in virtual mode. 'YUVAAH - Utsah Naye Bharat Ka' is the theme of this year's festival, which suggests, the youth bring alive the celebration of New India.

The opening ceremony of the 24th National Youth Festival and the closing ceremony of 2nd National Youth Parliament Festival will both take place on January 12 in the Central Hall of Parliament. The closing ceremony of the 24th National Youth Festival will take place in Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi on January 16.