New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reached out to young people as he interacted with participants of the Viksit Vibrant Village programme 2026 through video conferencing.
The interaction came a day after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) ended its agitation following Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over the NEET paper leak controversy.
PM Modi asked young people to visit India’s border villages and experience the lives of local communities. He said residents of these areas place the country first and remain vigilant about national security.
The prime minister praised the response to the initiative and called it an example of the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’. He also recalled that he spends Diwali with troops deployed along the borders.
“Our aim was for the youth of our nation to gain firsthand experience of all these aspects. The enthusiasm displayed by the youth across the country has been remarkable. Approximately, 3 lakh young people participated in this initiative, and over 400 were selected,” he said.
“You all spent a week in these remote villages—places that were previously unfamiliar to you. You endeavored to experience life there, integrated with the local community, and connected your own culture with theirs. There could hardly be a better example of the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat,” he added.
Modi said young people must play a crucial role in making India a developed nation. Greater engagement with border villages would help them understand the country better and contribute to its development, he added.
Participants also shared their experiences from visits to border villages and spoke about the role of Gen Z in achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat.
“For us, Gen Z stands for Nation Building; Gen Z stands for Character Building; GenZ is synonymous with Service; Gen Z represents Innovation, meaning Gen Z stands for ‘Nation First’,” participant Divyanshu Joshi told Modi.
Another participant said she had expected poor mobile connectivity and electricity supply in border villages. However, the conditions she saw during her visit surprised her.
“When I traveled to Chango, I had prepared myself based on what I had seen in online reels: thinking there would be no mobile network or electricity. But when I actually set out and saw the towering mountains and the well-constructed, sturdy roads winding along the steep slopes, I was amazed. I spoke to the locals and asked how this came to be; they told me that none of this existed before and they used to face great hardships,” she said.
She credited the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana for the changes in the region.
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