By IANS,
New Delhi : Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Jitendra Singh Friday urged more youngsters to volunteer through organisations like the National Yuva Kendra Sanghathan (NYKS) and National Service Scheme (NSS) for nation building.
“There are nearly 3.2 million NSS and NYKS volunteers in the country in about 500 districts which are engaged in the nation building. We need to strengthen such volunteer organisations as it will enhance social wellbeing of urban and rural masses,” Singh said.
Addressing a conference here and launching a book, Volunteering in India, Singh said that the sports ministry has several programmes and schemes to propagate the values of volunteerism among youth.
“The government is in the process of formulating the National Youth Policy and hopes the United Nations (UN) volunteer programme should assist in this regard,” he said.
A message from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki moon was read out by Lise Grande, UN resident coordinator and UNDP resident representative.
In his message, K-Moon said: “The timeless act of volunteering in the service of others has taken new dimensions in today’s digital age. Anyone with an Internet connection or a mobile phone can make a difference.”