From AI To Jobs And Culture, 1,200 Youth Join Yuva Panchayat In MP’s Ujjain

UJJAIN (Madhya Pradesh): A Yuva Panchayat was held for the first time under the 6th Yuva Dharma Sansad at Geeta Bhawan here on Thursday evening, bringing together young participants and guest speakers to discuss issues ranging from culture, education and employment to the environment, technology and nation-building. The entire event was organised in the backdrop of the Gen Z movement across the country.

The three-day event is being organised by Sevagya Sansthapana. Event convener Shyam Singh said around 1,200 participants from 24 states and Union Territories were taking part in the programme. Of them, 16 were shortlisted to speak at the Yuva Panchayat, with each given four minutes to present their views.

Abhishek Ranjan from Jehanabad spoke on the conflict between religion and values on one hand and money and stress on the other. Aman Kumar Sahu from Bilaspur said that in India, where 65% of the population is young, the importance of merit was self-evident. Ashutosh Sharma stressed the importance of tradition and values, saying traditions had endured for 2,500 years while many political parties had disappeared within short periods. People listen to an Acharya, not politicians, he said.

Anandi Shukla from Bhind said God existed in every particle of nature and that the land that gave people birth could not merely be regarded as a resource. Bhavna Bhumi referred to the protest at Jantar Mantar and said it had also reflected a lack of attention to duties and discipline. She argued that society did not give young people sufficient respect, time or opportunities. Himanshi urged young people to become job creators rather than job seekers, while Palak Arone described youth not merely as energy but as a flame capable of building the nation.

Pankaj Kumar Rathore from Neemuch said young people had the ability to turn challenges into opportunities. He emphasised education and skills and called upon the youth to pursue innovation. Priyanka Joshi from Ujjain said a true hero was one who lived by his or her duties. She described young people as both the present and the future and stressed the role of individual-level change in wider transformation. Pramod Singh Dhakad described youth as a force capable of awakening the nation and changing an era.

Pooja Kharadi said nation-building was possible only through character-building and stressed adherence to fundamental duties. She said today's youth were actively demonstrating their capabilities and added that society needed good human beings rather than divisions between Hindus and Muslims. Shashwat Tripathi described those involved in the Jantar Mantar protest as intellectual Naxals and said that, in his view, enacting a population law was the need of the hour. Pragati Singh from Varanasi emphasised the importance of remaining connected with Vedanta alongside learning algorithms related to artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Samriddhi Dubey from Bhopal said India was not merely a geographical territory but an emotion.

She rejected the characterisation of Gen Z as devoid of dignity and values. Utkarsh Pandey said maintaining harmony among the 'Panch Mahabhutas', or five fundamental elements, was among the greatest forms of self-welfare.

He argued that a Vedic way of life could protect against different forms of environmental pollution.

Rajul Kushwah from Bhopal said India's 600 million young people had the capacity to change both the condition and direction of the country. She said determined young people would play a key role in building a developed India.

Prabhakar Kumar Machwe from Bihar described India as a living national being and urged people to ask what they could contribute to the country before asking what the country could give them.

He said education had drifted from its purpose and argued that its true objective should be to develop logical thinking in the mind, compassion in the heart and practical skills in the hands.

Former Indian differently-abled Test cricket team captain Brajesh Dwivedi from Indore spoke about his physical and social struggles.

Describing success as a source of personal happiness, he urged young people to find what made them happy, choose their own path and seek the guidance of a guru while overcoming obstacles.

Madhya Pradesh Yuva Aayog chairman Praveen Sharma urged young people not to be caught up in fake narratives but to talk about a responsible India, strengthen their faith and work for public welfare.

IRS officer Nisha Uraon from Jharkhand said young people were looking for positive direction and meaningful solutions.

She said multiple problems could lead to frustration and claimed that anti-national elements could exploit such frustration, causing young people to act against their own country s sovereignty.

Referring to the Cockroach Janata Party and Nepal s Gen Z movement, she presented them as examples of this phenomenon. She described social entrepreneurship as a useful route towards empowerment.

Uraon further said that contemporary conflicts were increasingly fought through ideas rather than conventional warfare.

She alleged that lakhs of rupees had been spent to promote a fake narrative at Jantar Mantar and cautioned that narratives spread through artificial intelligence and social media could work against the national interest.

RSS chief to formally inaugurate event today

The 6th Yuva Dharma Sansad-2026, Avantika, began on Thursday at Geeta Bhawan on Dewas Road. The Dharma Sansad will be formally inaugurated by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat at 11 am on Friday.

Juna Peethadhishwar Avadheshanand Giri will address the afternoon session. The event will conclude on Sep 19, with Chief Minister Mohan Yadav attending the closing ceremony.