Colleges directed to organise programmes to increase voting turnout among youths 

The initiative will witness both on-ground physical events and online competitions on the MyGov platform.

The Ministry of Education will organise the “Mera Pehla Vote Desh Ke Liye” initiative from February 28 to March 6 to encourage the participation of youths in the upcoming elections.

Union Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Minister Dharmendra Pradhan directed all higher education institutions (HEIs) to conduct comprehensive voter awareness activities at their campuses to “emphasize to them (youth) the value of voting, making informed choices, and participating in electoral processes for a more representative democracy”.

The initiative will witness both on-ground physical events and online competitions on the MyGov platform. Various activities, including competitions on blog writing, podcasts, debate, essay writing, quizzes, extempore, Battle of Bands, etc will be conducted to show youths’ creativity in content creation.

Workshops and seminars emphasising the value of voting, understanding the electoral process etc will also be organised at the institutions. Additionally, the campaign will encourage youth to take the voter's pledge on the official website of the Election Commission. They will also be encouraged to download the Voter Helpline App.

NSS and its volunteers will lead the program in educational institutions, with activities documented on the 'My Gov' portal for wider dissemination. Educational institution clubs will also participate in the campaign.