Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat

“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 experiences.

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.

Engagement matrix between states and UTs

1. Gujarat : Chhattisgarh
2. Tamil Nadu : Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh
3. Madhya Pradesh : Manipur and Nagaland
4. Himachal Pradesh : Kerala
5. Maharashtra : Odisha
6. Uttar Pradesh : Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh
7. Punjab : Andhra Pradesh
8. Goa : Jharkhand
9. Lakshadweep : Andaman-Nicobar
10. Uttarakhand : Karnataka
11. Haryana : Telangana
12. Rajasthan : Assam
13. Delhi : Sikkim
14. Bihar : Tripura and Mizoram
15. Chandigarh and Puducherry : Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu

Illustrative List of Activities under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat

1. Cultural Exchange Programmes between partnering States with the help of troupes identified in the home State through Cultural Competitions.
2. Translation of at least 5 Award Winning Books and Poetry, popular folk songs of One State in the Language of the partner State.
3. Identification, translation and dissemination of proverbs having similar meaning in the languages of the two States.
4. Exchange programme for Writers and poets.
5. Organize Culinary festivals with opportunity to learn culinary practices.
6. Organize Educational Tours for schools/Universities Students reciprocally.
7. Promotion of Home Stay for visitors.
8. Promotion of Rajya Darshan for tourists.
9. Organising Familiarisation Tours for the Tour Operators of one State.
10. Exposure of students of one State to alphabets, songs, proverbs and 100 sentences in the languages of the partner State.
11. Prepare and share with the partner States a book containing information on their culture, customs, traditions, flora & fauna etc. for dissemination to schools and colleges.
12. Encouraging the administration of oaths / Pledges in the languages of the pairing states.
13. Organising Essay Competition among students in the language of the partner State.
14. Organising Optional Classes in schools / colleges, where feasible, for learning the language of the partner State.
15. Organising Drama(s) of partner State in the educational institutions.
16. Exchange of information on traditional agricultural practices and forecasting among farmers in partner States.
17. Organising combined Tableau and participation of Parade Contingents of Partner States on ceremonial occasions.
18. Telecasting / Broadcasting of programmes of one State on the Regional Radio channels of Partner States.
19. Organising Film Festivals in the partner State with sub-titles.
20. Showcase wearing of traditional attire of the partner State.
21. Organising National/ State Specific Quiz Competitions in various languages on TV / Radio / Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat website.
22. Organising Photography competitions highlighting culture and heritage of the partner State
23. Encourage learning and exposure to traditional sports of the partner States.
24. Any other items.

For complete guidelines, click here

Source : Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat portal