Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh announced the global launch of his government’s unique `Connect with your roots’ (CYR) programme from London (UK), which he said would apprise Indian origin youth in other countries of the ground realities in Punjab and wean them away from false Khalistani propaganda.
The Chief Minister called upon these youth to join the campaign to rediscover their identity and understand the ground realities of Punjab in a free environment, unshackled by preconceived ideas. He exhorted young boys and girls, between 16 and 22 years of age, especially those who had never visited India, to participate in the two-week programme which will provide them a platform to strengthen their roots. There will be a batch of 15 youth coming every two months under the programme, with each covering a different country.
In the first phase, it is proposed to cover Canada, US, Australia and EU, besides UK, as part of the programme, which requires the applicant to bear expenses for to and fro travel from India, while boarding, lodging, local travel and sightseeing expenses will be borne by the Government of Punjab.
Besides a home-stay programme in a village for three days, the initiative would include visits to old monuments and the chance to savour traditional delicacies famous food joints in Patiala, Amritsar, Ludhiana and other places of their interest. It would also encompass visits to historic, cultural and tourist places, such as Sri Harmandir Sahib: Golden Temple, Jallianwala Bagh (Amritsar), Indo-Pak Border at Wagha (Amritsar), Bhagat Singh Memorial at Banga, Khalsa Heritage Memorial (Anandpur Sahib) etc.
To promote awareness about the programme, a Facebook page has been created. Interested youth can reach out for more information through e-mail –connect_with_your_roots@punjab.gov.in and cyr@punjab.gov.in.
CYR complements another government programme `Friends of Punjab – Chief Minister’s Garima Gram Yojna’, seeking to connect with the millions of NRI Punjabis who have made foreign soils their homes and contributed to the progress of countries around the world with their hard work and dedicated commitment. This programme seeks to encourage them to connect with their routes and invites them to support the government’s rural development initiatives through matching financial assistance.
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