Yuva 2.0, which is exclusively for authors, is launched by the Education Ministry.
On Sunday, October 2, the ministry of education unveiled the YUVA 2.0 (New, Upcoming and Versatile Authors) programme, which aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plan to mentor young authors and advance India’s reading, writing, and book culture.
Young and aspiring authors under the age of 30 are welcome to participate in this programme. The education ministry introduced YUVA 2.0 after taking into account the substantial reaction from the first iteration of YUVA, in which aspiring writers submitted their works in 22 different Indian languages in addition to English. As quoted by Hindustan Times, the education ministry stated that “YUVA 2.0 is a part of India@75 Project (Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav) to bring to the fore the perspectives of the young generations of writers on the theme “Democracy (institutions, events, people, constitutional values past, present, and future)” in an innovative and creative manner.
“India tops the list in terms of youth population, making up 66% of the total and ready to be utilised for nation-building by developing capacity. “YUVA 2.0 will go a long way in laying the foundation of the future leaders of the creative world, and in this context, there is an imminent demand to adopt measures at the highest level with the objective of mentoring a new generation of young creative writers,” the ministry official said. To ensure that the programme is implemented in phases, the National Book Trust (NBT), an organisation in India, will serve as the implementing agency under the Ministry of Education. The NBT, India, will publish the books created as part of the effort, and they will also be translated into other Indian languages to ensure literary and cultural interchange and to support “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.”
By offering them a platform to share their diverse opinions on democratic and constitutional ideals, the programme seeks to develop the future generation of Indian authors. Finally, chosen authors will be given the opportunity to communicate with the world’s top writers. The ministry also stated that it is urgently necessary to take the highest level of initiative in order to mentor a new generation of young creative authors. In this regard, YUVA 2.0 will significantly contribute to creating the groundwork for the next generation of creative industry leaders.
The idea behind this programme is that India needs to develop a new generation of writers to serve as ambassadors for Indian literature in the twenty-first century. India must promote its indigenous literature on a worldwide scale, according to the Ministry official, given that it is ranked third in the world for book publishing and has a wealth of it. The top 75 authors will take part in this project after being chosen in an all-India sweepstakes. Permission would be given for the selected authors to submit their works as part of the submission. The winners will then be revealed on February 28, 2023. The first batch of books will be released, according to officials, on Gandhi Jayanti in 2023.
Theme of PM-YUVA 2.0
The Theme of PM-YUVA 2.0 is Democracy (Institutions, Events, People, and Constitutional Values)
- Institutions
- Events
- People
- Constitutional values
The programme will assist in creating a pool of authors who can explore the history, present, and future elements of Indian democracy through their writing. Additionally, the programme would open up a space for aspirant youth to express themselves and offer a thorough understanding of Indian democratic values on both national and international forums.
The focus of the theme is only on democracy in the context of India in order to encourage research and documentation on the numerous facets of the Indian democratic system.
Outcome of the scheme
This programme will guarantee the emergence of a pool of writers in both Indian and English who are prepared to express themselves and represent India on any international stage, as well as contribute to the internationalisation of Indian culture and literature.
The young of India would be encouraged to view reading and knowledge as an essential component of their formative years by making them a desirable profession on par with other career alternatives. Given the impact and effect of the recent epidemic on youth mental health, it will also provide the young minds a psychological boost. Being the third-largest book publisher in the world, India will benefit from this programme by attracting new authors who will write for both domestic and international audiences.
The PM’s vision of Global Citizen and Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat will be in line with this initiative, which will also establish India as a Vishwa Guru.
Highlights of YUVA 1.0
A contest open to all of India will be held to choose 75 authors in total.
The winners were declared on August 15, 2021.
Eminent authors and mentors will train the young authors.
The manuscripts will be prepared for publication by 15 December 2021 under the supervision.
The books will be released on January 12, 2022, in honour of National Youth Day (Yuva Diwas).
Under the Mentorship Scheme, each author would receive a combined scholarship worth Rs. 50,000 per month for a period of six months.
