India's strength lies in its diversity: Manish Tewari

LUDHIANA: Union Minister Manish Tewari today said the strength of the country lies in its diversity and different cultures, which together make it beautiful.

Speaking at the inaugural function of the National Youth Festival, Tewari said the coming together of thousands of youths from across the country will provide them a unique experience to learn about each other's culture.

Coinciding with the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda today, the function was organised jointly by Central and Punjab government.

Welcoming the participants, the Information and Broadcasting Minister said such festivals and programmes bring people together and help in forging greater unity and understanding.

The local MP told them that the Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana had scripted the green revolution that helped banish hunger from the country.

Union Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs Jitendra Singh, who was the chief guest at the event, congratulated the organisers for bringing together youth from across the country.

He said he was happy that the festival this time was being organised in Punjab, which has its own great culture.

The function was presided over by Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.

Badal said that to safeguard our younger generations from the menace of drugs the war against narcotics should be waged as a national mission.

"The supply of drugs from neighboring countries poses a serious threat and it should be addressed urgently to save our future generations," he added.