Bhubaneswar: Odisha Sports and Youth Services Minister Suryabanshi Suraj on Wednesday inaugurated the Viksit Bharat Youth Leadership Dialogue (VBYLD)-2027 at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, providing young people across the state a platform to contribute ideas towards the goal of Viksit Bharat @2047.
The initiative is being implemented by MY Bharat under the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. It seeks to encourage young people to develop and present ideas that can contribute to India’s development journey.
Addressing a press conference during the launch, Minister Suraj said the campaign aims to help bridge the gap from classrooms to boardrooms and from playgrounds to parliament.
The government is also working with premier institutions, including the IITs, to help convert innovative ideas emerging from the initiative into practical products and services.
The Sports and Youth Services Department is partnering with MY Bharat and the National Service Scheme to create widespread awareness about the programme across the state.
Recalling Swami Vivekananda’s message on the power of youth, the minister encouraged young people from across Odisha to participate actively in the initiative and make their ideas count.
The selection process has already begun with the online Viksit Bharat Quiz, which is being conducted from August 17 to September 30, 2026. Individuals aged between 15 and 29 years are eligible to participate.
Those who successfully clear the quiz will move on to a 500-word essay writing competition, followed by district-level and state-level rounds. The final state delegates will travel to New Delhi, where they will have an opportunity to present their vision before Union Ministers, senior officials, and the prime minister.
The Viksit Bharat Youth Leadership Dialogue-2027 features six core tracks: Viksit Bharat Challenge, Cultural Track, Design for Bharat, Hack for Social Cause, Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge and Youth Parliament.
Students from schools, colleges and universities across Odisha can register through the MY Bharat portal for the programme.
Sports Director Dr Yeddula Vijay, Additional Secretary of Sports and Youth Services Sudhakar Naik, and State Directors from MY Bharat and NSS were among those present at the launch event.
