Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday, November 15, launched the second phase of a scheme aimed at distributing tens of lakhs of tablets to young people across the state.Addressing an event at the Rashtra Prerna Sthal in Lucknow, he launched the second phase of tablet distribution under the Swami Vivekananda Yuva Sashaktikaran Yojana.More than 50,000 students and trainees from 300 educational institutions across Lucknow, Hardoi, Sitapur and Unnao districts were set to receive tablets at the event.Overall, a total of 25 lakh young people are set to receive the devices in the second phase. In the first phase, 60 lakh students received tablets, Adityanath said.
He also urged young people to draw inspiration from Birsa Munda, Swami Vivekananda, Rani Lakshmibai and Chandrashekhar Azad and contribute to nation-building, news agency PTI reported.He said the transformation in Uttar Pradesh was visible because of the confidence and hard work of its younger populace. CM Adityanath said India was the youngest nation in the world and Uttar Pradesh was the youngest state in the country.Young people comprise 56 per cent of India's population, while their share in UP is between 56 and 60 per cent, he added.Referring to Birsa Munda's birth anniversary, which is celebrated as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas on Novermber 15 every year, Adityanath said the freedom fighter had shaken the foundations of British rule at the age of 25 and raised the call for Independence.Birsa Munda fought to protect the motherland and the country's honour and self-respect, he said.According to PTI, the CM said several young people had raised their voices against the atrocities of British rule during the freedom movement.Adityanath said the Swami Vivekananda Yuva Sashaktikaran Yojana was launched during the Covid-19 pandemic on December 25, 2021, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.At the time, studies and examinations had been disrupted and not all students had access to digital devices, he said.The government had set a target of distributing tablets and smartphones to two crore young people.The CM urged students to use the tablets for their studies, access digital libraries and learn about developments in India and across the world.He said the devices distributed in the first phase had helped students take online examinations and had also promoted digital entrepreneurship.- Ends(With additional inputs from PTI)