Tamil Nadu Governor and chairman of the Auroville Foundation, R.N. Ravi, on Tuesday attributed the successful implementation of various programmes for the countrys sizeable population over the past decade to the alignment between the vision of the national leadership and the participation of the people, particularly the youth.

Addressing the Y20 youth summit, hosted in Auroville as part of Indias G20 presidency, Mr. Ravi said whether it was the accelerated financial inclusion drive that led to 500 million bank accounts, providing 30 million beneficiary-built homes or eliminating open defecation by providing sanitation, the success of these initiatives was driven by the involvement of the people, especially the youth.

The magic of the successful transformation was due to a shift from the incrementalism of past decades to an accelerated implementation through mass participation, he said. Noting that the theme of the G20 Summit One Earth. One Family. One Future reflected the Indian ethos of regarding the world as one family, Mr. Ravi said the nation was also setting an example to the world in addressing issues such as climate change by advocating green technologies and renewable energy. And, when India conducts an experiment in delivery of a programme with its 1.4 billion population, the success is regarded as replicable elsewhere in the world, he said. Envisaging a strident leadership role for the global youth going into the future to resolve the numerous crises besetting the world, Mr. Ravi said the Y20 was perhaps the most important engagement partner of the G20 summit, as it facilitated expression of a range of views far more comprehensive and diverse than the leaders of the governments alone could possibly come up with.

Even though the G20 grouping that represented 85% of the world GDP wielded considerable power and influence in tackling numerous crises and reshaping the destiny of the world making it in many ways more effective than even the United Nations, where the contemporary global leadership had a moral obligation to deliver a safe and sustainable earth, the youth of today had an existential stake in shaping the future, Mr. Ravi said.

Urging youth to take up deliberations of global challenges in all seriousness and reflect on the world they envisage as they would soon take up various positions of responsibility, not necessarily political roles, in society, Mr. Ravi hoped that the immersive experience they undergo in Auroville for the delegates would help contribute to Y20 formulations.

Noting that the Y20 summits inaugural coincided perfectly with the 113th anniversary of Sri Aurobindos arrival on the erstwhile Pondicherrys shores, Lt. Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, who is also a member of the Auroville Foundation governing board, urged the youth to cherish and constructively use their freedoms, which were a result of great sacrifices made by those from an earlier generation.

Ms. Soundararajan said Sri Aurobindo had taken the view that freedom should be built on the foundation of our countrys culture and the development. Far from condemning foreign culture, Sri Aurobindo, whose engagement with revolutionary poet Subramania Bharati marking a meeting of great minds that is a part of the citys legacy, favoured assimilation of its good aspects, she said.

Jayanti Ravi, Secretary, Auroville Foundation, who gave an overview of Auroville, said the universal township was envisioned as an experiment in human unity by The Mother, who was spiritual collaborator of Sri Aurobindo to reflect the ideals he propagated, and put into design by French architect Roger Anger.

Anirban Ganguly, Director of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Foundation and Indias official representative of India Youth20 (Y20), Nirima Oza, member, Auroville governing board and Divya Swapna Raj, founder of Womens League Foundation were among those who took part. About 150 youth, including international delegates and Aurovilians in the 18-30 age group, are participating in the three-day summit.

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Mass participation driving the success of flagship programmes, says Tamil Nadu Governor - The Hindu