Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make a visit to Karnataka on Thursday to inaugurate the five-day National Youth Festival, which will be held at Hubballi. PM Modi is likely to make another visit to the poll-bound state on January 19 to dedicate the Narayanpur Left Bank Canal (NLBC) modernisation project.
PM Modi will inaugurate the festival at 4 PM at Railway Sports Ground in Hubballi, which will be attended by Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi, Anurag Singh Thakur among others. The PM is scheduled to leave for New Delhi after the inaugural event.
A day ahead of his visit to Hubballi to inaugurate National Youth Festival, PM Modi tweeted, "On the Jayanti of Swami Vivekananda tomorrow, 12th January, I will be in Karnataka to inaugurate the 26th National Youth Festival in Hubballi. May the ideals of Swami Vivekananda keep guiding our youth and inspire them to work towards nation building."
According to officials, the festival is held every year to provide exposure to talented youth at the national level, along with galvanising them towards nation building.
It brings diverse cultures from all parts of the country on a common platform and unites the participants in the spirit of 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat', they said, adding that the theme of this year's festival is 'Viksit Yuva - Viksit Bharat'.
More than 30,000 youth are expected to attend the inaugural function where the Prime Minister will share his vision with them. During the five-day event, over 7,500 youth delegates from all over India get together to engage in different learning activities.
Earlier on Monday Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai announced that PM Modi to inaugurate "Prime Minister Narendra Modi is coming to Hubballi directly to inaugurate the National Youth Festival on Thursday, which will be organised at the Hubballi Railways Ground," Bommai said.
He added that youth from 28 states and eight Union Territories will participate in the seven-day event, which the Prime Minister will address.
The 26th National Youth Festival will be organised in Karnataka from January 12-16. Twin cities -- Hubballi and Dharwad -- will host the youth festival, which will witness over 30,000 students participating in the opening ceremony.
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The Chief Minister said the Prime Minister will come to the state again on January 19. "He will come to Narayanpur on January 19 to dedicate the NLBC to the nation. The complete modernisation of the NLBC has been undertaken using state and Central grants," Bommai said.
According to him, the NLBC has the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)-based automation system at a mega scale. If Modi's January 19 programme is confirmed, there are plans to hold an event with the Banjara community, he added.
"These (events on January 19) are all subject to confirmation," Bommai said. Assembly elections in Karnataka are due by May.
(With PTI inputs)