3,500 to attend youth festival

Around 3,500 participants throughout the country are expected to participate in the 10th National Youth Festival to be held in the city from January 8-12, 2010.

The youth fest, a five-day extravaganza being hosted by the Orissa government for the first time, would involve an expenditure of Rs four crore which is to be shared equally between the Centre and the state government .

“The budget for the 10 th National Youth Festival (NYF) has been pegged at Rs four crore and this is to be shared equally between the Centre and the Orissa government. We are expecting around 3,500 participants for the event”, said Pradipta K Mohapatra, secretary, sports and youth affairs of the Orissa government.

He was briefing reporters after the unveiling of the mascot for the youth fest by state chief minister Naveen Patnaik. Gori, India's lone captive albino crocodile reared in the Bhitarkanika wildlife sanctuary in Kendrapara has been chosen as the mascot for the NYF.

“It is an honour for Orissa to organize such a grand event. The choice of Gori as the mascot for the Youth Festival is a recognition of the efforts made by the state government towards conservation of environment and wildlife”, said Patnaik.

The Youth Festival is being organized by the Orissa government in collaboration with the department of youth affairs and sports, Government of India; Nehru Yuva Sangathan and National Service Scheme.

Talking on the arrangements made for the festival, Mohapatra said, “We have booked rooms in various guest houses and hotels in the city to ensure a comfortable stay for the participants. Besides, elaborate security arrangements have been made for the festival.”

The inaugural ceremony of NYF would be held at the Kalinga Stadium in the city on January 8, 2010 at 3 pm. The closing ceremony is to be held at the same venue on January 12. Apart from competitive events, non-competitive events like folk dances, rock concert, hasya kavi sammilani and adventure activities are also planned for the occasion.