‘Connect with your roots’: 14 UK youths to visit Punjab from Aug 7

CHANDIGARH:WITH the first batch of 14 youngsters of Punjab origin from the UK visiting the state from August 7 to 16 under the ambitious ‘Connect with your roots’ scheme, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday issued directives to make their visit a success.

The group consists of eight boys and six girls, aged between 16 and 22 years.

They would be visiting their ancestral places in districts of Jalandhar, Patiala, Ludhiana, SBS Nagar, Faridkot and Mohali. They will be meeting members of the families, friends and relatives of their parents/grandparents.

A highlight of their programme will be the state-level Independence Day celebrations, scheduled to be presided over by the CM in Ludhiana. He will also personally interact with the youngsters on the occasion, an official spokesperson said.

The NRI affairs department has been asked to ensure proper boarding, lodging, transportation, sightseeing and other facilities while the tourism and cultural affairs department will arrange the group’s visit to various places of cultural and historic importance. Among the places that the youngsters are scheduled to visit are Golden Temple, Durgiana Mandir, Ram Tirath, Jallianwala Bagh, War Memorial, Attari-wagah border and Gobindgarh Fort in Amritsar.

Other inclusions in the itinerary are the Punjab civil secretariat, Vidhan Sabha and Shaheed-eazam Bhagat Singh Memorial at Khatkar Kalan in SBS Nagar.

The scheme was launched by the CM at London in September, 2017. The two-week programme provides a platform to youth of Indian origin, who have never visited the country, to trace their ancestral roots.