Jammu and Kashmir students on national tour meet Chidambaram

Herald Globe (ANI) Friday 10th February, 2012

A group of 158 students from Jammu and Kashmir met the Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram in New Delhi today.

The students visited various places in the country in smaller groups of 20 under the "Youth Exchange Programme" of Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.

The programme aimed at exposing Jammu and Kashmir youth to other parts of the country.

The children, who interacted with the Home Minister, narrated their experiences during the tour. Many of them said they were fascinated by the exposure.

Most of the children, who were part of the tour, belonged to the families affected by militancy in the State.

The group will be calling on the President on February 11.

The children's group was flagged of by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on January 31 from Jammu. It was conducted in coordination with the J and K Rehabilitation Council, an autonomous body working under the Social Welfare Department of the government of Jammu and Kashmir.

Under the programme 'Wattan Ko Jano,' groups of educated youth visited various parts of the country from January 31 to February 8 and were exposed to the diverse social and cultural heritage of the country. The group during their trip interacted both at inter-state and intra-state level and participated in cultural activities at different places in and outside the state.

A total of 158 children (31 girls and 127 boys), within the age group of 15-20 years, participated in the programme.

Apart from visiting various locations of historical, cultural, educational and tourist interests, the team engaged in various activities including sports activity, debates, painting competition, interactive programs, cultural interactions etc with similar age groups in schools and colleges during their stay at various places. (ANI)