Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 26th National Youth Festival, scheduled between January 12 and 16 at Karnataka's Hubballi-Dharwad region, on Thursday. As January 12 is observed as National Youth Day, Modi will also address the youth of the nation during the festival.
- The day is commemorated across the country to celebrate the ideals and teachings of Swami Vivekananda.
- The government had declared the day as the National Youth Day in 1984 to honour and cherish Vivekananda's ideals, teachings and contributions, and encourage youth to follow his footsteps.
- The theme of 26th National Youth Festival is ‘Viksit Yuva – Viksit Bharat.’ The youth summit will have discussions surrounding five topics covering diverse areas of work, industry and innovation, climate change, health and peace.