India resumes Bangladesh Youth Delegation programme

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After two years of disruption due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Bangladesh Youth Delegation programme returned as its 2022 programme was formally launched on Sunday evening.

Information and broadcasting minister Hasan Mahmud and Indian High Commissioner Vikram Kumar Doraiswami jointly launched the programme, which will be a more inclusive one, at the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.

Participants can apply online by visiting the Indian High Commission website.

They need to be aged between 21 and 35 and must be a citizen of Bangladesh and should not possess dual citizenship.

The applicants cannot be active members of any political party or affiliated organisation, said the high commission.

Participants have to make an introductory video about themselves. The video will have to be posted on their Facebook account and the link must be submitted with the application form.

The introductory video must be between 90-120 seconds. Any video longer than 120 seconds will not be accepted.

Hasan and Doraiswami also unveiled the official logo and launched the portal of the Bangladesh Youth Delegation 2022 which is now active for receiving applications up to June 30.

This international youth exchange programme is part of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between India's Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and Bangladesh's Ministry of Youth and Sports on cooperation on youth issues.

Arranging such an exchange programme for youth was not possible in the last two years due to the Covid pandemic.

It is a special moment that the youth exchange programme with Bangladesh has been resumed this year, said the high commission.

A hundred young leaders from various walks of life will be selected from Bangladesh, for a hosted visit to India to travel to economic, technological, industrial, cultural and historical places of interest.

To ensure diversity and selection of the best talent from across various segments of the society, an open and inclusive selection process will be conducted by the Indian High Commission through interviews across all eight divisions of Bangladesh.

Alumni of previous Bangladesh Youth Delegation programmes will be associated with the process.

As part of their applications, candidates will have to fill in their CVs and share a link to a special short Facebook video that they must make.

The launch event was attended by nearly a hundred Bangladesh Youth Delegation alumni and other youth icon