TN Governor to Inaugurate 17th Tribal Youth Exchange Programme in Chennai on Nov 24

chennai: tamil nadu governor r n ravi will inaugurate the 17th tribal youth exchange programme in chennai on november 24, according to a release issued by pib chennai. the nationwide initiative is being conducted across 16 states and 25 cities.a total of 220 young participants from left-wing extremism-affected districts of jharkhand, madhya pradesh, chhattisgarh, odisha and maharashtra will take part in the chennai leg of the programme. the week-long event aims to expose tribal youth to the educational, cultural and developmental landscape of tamil nadu.during their stay, the participants will visit iit madras, marina beach, birla planetarium, and the dr b r ambedkar memorial, among other places. the programme is being organised by the mera yuva bharat (my bharat) tamil nadu chapter, in collaboration with the ministry of youth affairs and sports, the ministry of home affairs, and sri sairam engineering college, from november 23 to 29.the initiative aims to familiarise tribal youth with national development processes, skill-building opportunities, technological growth, education and employment prospects. it also seeks to raise awareness of central and state government schemes, promote cultural understanding and enhance self-confidence among tribal communities.according to the 2011 census, scheduled tribes constitute 10.42 million people, representing 8.6 per cent of india's population. given their unique cultural identity and socio-economic vulnerabilities, the government has emphasised the need to encourage positive engagement and capacity-building among tribal youth. since 2006, 16 editions of the programme have been successfully conducted with support from the ministry of home affairs.youth from west singhbhum (jharkhand), balaghat (madhya pradesh), dantewada, kanker and narayanpur (chhattisgarh), kandhamal and kalahandi (odisha), and gadchiroli (maharashtra) are participating. the event is being coordinated under the supervision of senthilkumar, state director, ministry of youth affairs and sports.