SRINAGAR: The Union Government has said that youth from Jammu and Kashmir, including those from non-collegiate rural institutions, are eligible to participate in the Viksit Bharat Youth Parliament (VBYP) programme, with Kupwara and Baramulla receiving financial assistance to organise local sessions in aspirational districts.
In a written reply to an unstarred question in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya said the VBYP is open to all young people aged 18 to 25 years from both rural and urban areas. Eligible participants, including those from non-collegiate rural institutions, can register through the MY Bharat Portal and take part in the prescribed selection process.
The Minister said Kupwara and Baramulla have each been allocated Rs 1.20 lakh during the 2025-26 financial year to organise Viksit Bharat Youth Parliament activities in aspirational districts.
He informed the House that the 2026 edition of the programme was conducted entirely in offline mode through a three-tier structure comprising district, state and national rounds, while participant registration continued through the MY Bharat Portal to ensure a transparent and technology-enabled process.
The Government also disclosed that two female participants secured the top honours in the national-level final of the Viksit Bharat Youth Parliament 2026, held at Samvidhan Sadan in New Delhi.
Responding to another query, the Minister said the programme, in its current format, does not envisage official training material and, therefore, no initiative has been taken to translate such material into the 22 scheduled languages.
