Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat

Context:

A webinar on ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat – Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ was organized today by Regional Outreach Bureau (ROB) & Press Information Bureau (PIB), Chandigarh under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India.

About:

• “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat” was announced by Hon’ble Prime Minister on 31st October, 2015 on the occasion of the 140th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
• Subsequently, the Finance Minister announced the initiative in his Budget Speech for 2016-17.
• Through this innovative measure, the knowledge of the culture, traditions and practices of different States & UTs will lead to an enhanced understanding and bonding between the States, thereby strengthening the unity and integrity of India.
• All States and UTs will be covered under the programme.
• There will be pairing of States/UTs at national level and these pairings will be in effect for one year, or till the next round of pairings. The State/UT level pairings would be utilized for state level activities.
• District level pairings would be independent of the State level pairings.
• The activity will be very useful to link various States and Districts in annual programmes that will connect people through exchanges in areas of culture, tourism, language, education trade etc. and citizens will be able to experience the cultural diversity of a much larger number of States/UTs while realising that India is one.

Objectives of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat

The broad objectives of the initiative are as follows:-

• To CELEBRATE the Unity in Diversity of our Nation and to maintain and strengthen the fabric of traditionally existing emotional bonds between the people of our Country;
• PROMOTE the spirit of national integration through a deep and structured engagement between all Indian States and Union Territories through a year-long planned engagement between States;
• To SHOWCASE the rich heritage and culture, customs and traditions of either State for enabling people to understand and appreciate the diversity that is India, thus fostering a sense of common identity;
• TO ESTABLISH long-term engagements and
• TO CREATE an environment which promotes learning between States by sharing best practices and experience

Need of Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat Programme

India is a unique nation, whose fabric has been woven by diverse linguistic, cultural and religious threads, held together into a composite national identity by a rich history of cultural evolution, coupled with a freedom struggle that was built around the tenets of non-violence and justice. The spirit of mutual understanding amidst a shared history has enabled a special unity in diversity, which stands out as a tall flame of nationhood that needs to be nourished and cherished into the future.

Time and technology have narrowed down distances in terms of connect and communication. In an era that facilitates mobility and outreach, it is important to establish cultural exchanges between people of different regions, as a means to further human bonding and a common approach to nation-building. Mutual understanding and trust are the foundations of India’s strength and all citizens should feel culturally integrated in all corners of India. Students from the north-east, for example, should not feel like ‘strangers in a strange land’ when they arrive in Delhi, or a person from Uttarakhand should not feel like an outsider in Kerala.

Mission & Vision

The mission is as follows –

1. To celebrate the Unity in Diversity of our Nation and to maintain and strengthen the fabric of traditionally existing emotional bonds between the people of our Country
2. To promote the spirit of national integration through a deep and structured engagement between all Indian States and Union Territories through a year-long planned engagement between States;
3. To showcase the rich heritage and culture, customs, and traditions of either State for enabling people to understand and appreciate the diversity that is India, thus fostering a sense of common identity
4. To establish long-term engagements
5. To create an environment that promotes learning between States by sharing best practices and experiences.

The vision is mentioned below –

1. To celebrate the idea of India as a nation wherein different cultural units across varied geographies coalesce and interact with each other. This glorious manifestation of diverse languages, cuisine, music, dance, theatre, movies & films, handicrafts, sports, literature, festivals, painting, sculpture, etc., will enable people to imbibe the innate chord of binding and brotherhood.
2. To make our people aware of the seamless integral hull of the Modern Indian State spread across a vast landmass on whose firm foundations, the geo-political strength of the country is ensured to benefit one and all.
3. To impress upon people at large about the increasing inter-connectedness between the constituents of various cultures and traditions, which is so vital for the spirit of nation-building.
4. To ease out the feeling of ‘stranger in a strange land’ among the people of different states, cultures and traditions living in various states of India.
5. To induce a sense of responsibility & ownership for the nation as a whole through these close cross-cultural interactions as it intends to build up the inter-dependence matrix unequivocally.
6. To celebrate the diversity as well as the unity of the Nation at the same time.
7. To generate the vibrance of understanding & appreciation amongst the people and forge mutual bonding to securing an enriched value system of unity in the nation.

Themes

• To celebrate the idea of India as a nation wherein different cultural units across varied geographies coalesce and interact with each other, this glorious manifestation of diverse cuisine, music, dance, theatre, movies & films, handicrafts, sports, literature, festivals, painting, sculpture etc. will enable people to imbibe the innate chord of binding and brotherhood.
• To make our people aware about the seamless integral hull of the Modern Indian State spread across a landmass of 32 lakh sq. km, on whose firm foundations, the geo-political strength of the country is ensured benefitting one and all.
• To impress upon people at large about the increasing inter-connectedness between the constituents of various cultural & economic zones which is so vital for the spirit of nation building.
• To induce a sense of responsibility & ownership for the nation as a whole through these close cross-cultural interactions as it intends to build up the inter-dependence matrix unequivocally.
• To further promote inter-state travel for boosting business activities of various hues.
• To create a learning ecosystem between the various stakeholders of the partnering states so that they benefit from the best practices of one another by establishing a State to State Connect.

Source: PIB