YUVA scheme for young and aspiring authors of India

Are you a bookworm? Or someone who aspires to be a young author? Then here is an interesting scheme for you, that will definitely aid you, in achieving your writing dreams.

Also, watch the video till the end to find out about an All India Contest where you can participate and get a chance to win a scholarship of Rs.50,000 per month. And not just 1 but 75 of you can win the money and get several other opportunities under this government of India initiative to get started with your dreams.

Sounds exciting right? Well, The Ministry of Education, Department of Higher Education recently launched YUVA that stands for Young, Upcoming and Versatile Authors under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The YUVA scheme is targeted towards mentoring young and budding authors who are below the age of 30.

YUVA SCHEME

Under an Author Mentorship programme, young authors will be trained in order to promote reading, writing and develop a book culture in the country. The programme will help in projecting India and Indian writings globally.

This scheme is based on PM’s vision to encourage young writers to write about India’s freedom struggle.

During the Mann ki Baat radio programme that was aired on 31 January 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called upon the young generation to write about freedom fighters, incidents associated with freedom, the saga of valour during the period of freedom struggle in their respective areas. This is the best tribute to the heroes of India’s freedom, as India will celebrate its 75 years of Independence.

During the show, Prime Minister also said that This will prepare a category of thought leaders that will decide the course of the future”

This newly launched YUVA scheme is a part of India@75 Project which is also famous as Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

YUVA can bring in the perspectives of the young generation of writers in an innovative and creative manner.

The idea behind YUVA:

For a country like India that tops the world in dynamic youth population, we have a lot of unexplored potentials ready to be tapped into for nation-building. This demographic advantage offers India and its economy an unprecedented edge.

India is ranked 3rd in the arena of book publishing, and to further boost this treasure trove of indigenous literature, it is essential that it gets a due projection on the global stage.

This scheme will help not only to develop a stream of writers who can write on a spectrum of subjects to promote Indian heritage, culture and knowledge, but also provide a window to the aspiring youth to articulate themselves in their mother tongue and represent India at an international front.

GOAL:

The Goal of the YUVA scheme is to ensure that India creates a pool of authors in 22 Indian languages who are ready to express themselves and project India on any international platform, as well as help projecting Indian culture and literature globally.

The young authors who will be mentored shall become proficient in writing in various genres like fiction, non-fiction, travelogues, drama, poetry and so on.

It will make sure to bring reading and authorship as a preferred profession at par with other job options. This will open up a very interesting career option for children in India who enjoys reading and creative writing.

In children’s grooming years, they can polish their skills and take up writing books as a potential career option.

In addition, it will bring a positive psychological push to the young minds given the impact and effect of the recent pandemic on the mental health of children.

The implementation of the NEP 2020 has emphasised the empowerment of young minds and is helping in creating a learning ecosystem that can make the young readers and learners ready for leadership roles in the future world. In this context, YUVA will go a long way in laying the foundation for the future leaders of tomorrow.

The National Book Trust of India is the Implementing Agency of YUVA and will ensure phase-wise execution of the Scheme under well-defined stages of mentorship.

CONTEST

Now, without any further ado, here are the details about the contest:

A total of 75 authors will be selected through an All India Contest that will be conducted through My Gov website from 1 June – 31 July 2021. You can visit the website – www.mygov.in to register. The winners will be announced on Independence Day i.e. 15 August 2021.

The young authors will be trained by eminent authors or mentors. You will get a chance to prepare a manuscript by 15 Dec. 2021 for publication.

The published books will be launched on 12 January 2022 on the occasion of National Youth Day or Yuva Diwas.

A consolidated scholarship of Rs.50,000 per month for a period of six months per author will be paid under the Mentorship Scheme.

The selected young authors will interact with some of the best authors of the world; participate in literary festivals, Virtual Book Fair, Cultural Exchange Programmes, etc.

​The books prepared under this scheme will be published by National Book Trust, India; and will also be translated into other Indian languages ensuring the exchange of culture and literature.

Hope this helps.

Thank You