Saturday, February 14, 2009

Awards Presented to Winners of Youth Parliament Competition, 2007-08



Shri V. Narayanasamy, the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Planning gave away the prizes to winning students/schools for their meritorious performances in the National Youth Parliament Competition for 2007-08 here today. The Running Parliamentary Shield and Trophy for standing first in the Competition was awarded to Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Periya, Distt. Kasaragod, Kerala. Merit trophies were awarded to eight Vidyalayas for standing first in their respective regions. On this occasion, the students of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Periya, Distt. Kasaragod, which stood first in the competition, also presented a repeat performance on the occasion. Addressing the gathering, Shri Narayanasamy said that the young parliamentarians had made an excellent effort to make themselves familiar with the parliamentary procedures and practices. The level of the debates and discussions, the deep insight of the subjects selected for deliberations demonstrated that they had really tried to learn about the country’s democracy very sincerely. Shri Narayanasamy mentioned that it was equally heartening to know that these students belong to the semi-urban and rural areas where they had much less exposure to facilities in comparison to their counterparts in the cities. An enlightened citizenry, trained in the art of mutual accommodation and understanding, disciplined and prepared to tolerate other’s point of view is the hallmark of parliamentary democracy. It is vital to inculcate these qualities, virtues and habits in the youth and to familiarize them with the working of parliamentary institutions, to ensure that parliamentary democracy flourishes and is strengthened, the Minister said Highlighting the objectives of the scheme, Shri P. Mohandas, the Secretary, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs said that the Youth Parliament Scheme strived to achieve the aforesaid objectives by educating the younger generation about their rights and responsibilities. Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti adopted this scheme in 1997 for its schools spread throughout the country. Ever since, the teachers and students have shown great interest and enthusiasm towards the scheme. The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs have been organizing Youth Parliament competitions in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas for the past 11 years. Under the scheme of National Youth Parliament Competition for Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, the 11th Competition in the series was organized during 2007-2008 among 64 Vidyalayas spread over eight regions all over India.