Yuva Sangam Phase VII Delegates Meet President Droupadi Murmu
An Odisha student delegation touring Himachal Pradesh under Yuva Sangam Phase VII met President Droupadi Murmu, the first such interaction in the programme.

Why in News
The Ministry of Education announced that the Odisha student delegation on a Yuva Sangam Phase VII exchange in Himachal Pradesh met President Droupadi Murmu on 7 October 2026, the first interaction between Yuva Sangam delegates and the President of India.
A student delegation from Odisha met President Droupadi Murmu on 7 October 2026 while touring Himachal Pradesh under Yuva Sangam Phase VII. The Ministry of Education says this was the first time delegates of Yuva Sangam had interacted with the President of India, which makes the meeting a marker in the programme’s short history rather than a routine call. In the interaction the students heard the President’s views on India’s diversity and on why national unity matters.
How the visit was arranged
The delegation is led by its nodal institution, the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Sambalpur, and reached Himachal Pradesh on 5 October 2026. Its host in the State is the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Hamirpur, which received the group on arrival. The delegates are being shown the State’s culture, traditions, educational institutions and everyday way of life, the pattern each Yuva Sangam exchange follows.
Meeting the Chief Minister
Before the meeting with the President, the students called on the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, on 6 October 2026. The Chief Minister welcomed the delegates and spoke with them about the exchange.
What Yuva Sangam is
Yuva Sangam is run by the Department of Higher Education in the Union Ministry of Education under the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat programme, which seeks to strengthen cultural and emotional bonds among young Indians. Phase VII works through 20 pairings of States and higher education institutions. Each pairing sends young people to a State or Union Territory other than their own, so that they can see its cultural heritage, traditions, educational landscape and development record at first hand, and so build mutual understanding and national integration.
The Odisha–Himachal Pradesh pairing
For this phase Odisha has been paired with Himachal Pradesh. The exchange is meant to push young Indians to explore the country’s diversity, meet communities outside their home State and come to value a shared cultural inheritance. The Ministry places that purpose squarely within the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat vision of a more closely knit youth.
Important Facts
| Programme | Yuva Sangam Phase VII, under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat |
|---|---|
| Run by | Department of Higher Education, Union Ministry of Education |
| Pairing | Odisha with Himachal Pradesh |
| Nodal institution | Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Sambalpur |
| Host institution | National Institute of Technology (NIT) Hamirpur |
| Arrival in Himachal Pradesh | 5 October 2026 |
| Met Chief Minister | Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, 6 October 2026 |
| Met President | Droupadi Murmu, 7 October 2026 |
| First of its kind | First interaction of Yuva Sangam delegates with the President of India |
| Scale of Phase VII | 20 pairings of States and higher education institutions |
Exam Point of View
Remember the first (Yuva Sangam delegates meeting the President of India), the dates (arrival on 5 October 2026, Chief Minister on 6 October, President on 7 October 2026), the pairing (Odisha with Himachal Pradesh), the nodal institution (IIM Sambalpur) and the host (NIT Hamirpur), the parent programme (Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat under the Department of Higher Education) and the scale of Phase VII (20 pairings of States and higher education institutions).
Practice Questions
Under Yuva Sangam Phase VII, Odisha has been paired with which State?
- A.Assam
- B.Himachal Pradesh
- C.Uttarakhand
- D.Telangana
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is Himachal Pradesh. Under Yuva Sangam Phase VII the Odisha delegation travelled to Himachal Pradesh, reaching the State on 5 October 2026, where NIT Hamirpur is hosting it. Option A, Assam, is wrong because Assam is paired with a different State in this phase and is not the host of the Odisha group. Options C and D, Uttarakhand and Telangana, are wrong as well; neither State is the destination of the Odisha delegation. The exchange is built on pairings, and each pairing sends students to a State or Union Territory other than their own so that they can see its culture, traditions, educational institutions and development record. The Odisha delegates also met the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, on 6 October 2026, and President Droupadi Murmu on 7 October 2026.
Which institution is the nodal institution leading the Odisha delegation under Yuva Sangam Phase VII?
- A.IIM Sambalpur
- B.IIT Bhubaneswar
- C.NIT Rourkela
- D.Utkal University
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is IIM Sambalpur. The Indian Institute of Management, Sambalpur, is the nodal institution leading the Odisha delegation on its Yuva Sangam Phase VII visit to Himachal Pradesh. Option B, IIT Bhubaneswar, option C, NIT Rourkela, and option D, Utkal University, are all institutions in Odisha, which makes them plausible distractors, but none of them is named as the nodal institution for this delegation. The host institution at the other end is NIT Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh, so candidates should separate the two roles: the nodal institution leads the visiting group while the host institution receives it. The delegation reached Himachal Pradesh on 5 October 2026, met the Chief Minister on 6 October and the President of India on 7 October 2026.
Yuva Sangam is implemented under which programme of the Union Government?
- A.Unnat Bharat Abhiyan
- B.Samagra Shiksha
- C.Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat
- D.Khelo India
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat. Yuva Sangam is run by the Department of Higher Education in the Union Ministry of Education under the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat programme, whose purpose is to strengthen cultural and emotional bonds among the youth of India. Option A, Unnat Bharat Abhiyan, option B, Samagra Shiksha, and option D, Khelo India, are all Union Government initiatives in education and sport, which makes them plausible, but none of them is the parent programme of Yuva Sangam. The exchange sends young participants to another State or Union Territory to experience its cultural heritage, traditions, educational landscape and development achievements, thereby building mutual understanding and national integration. Phase VII operates through 20 pairings of States and higher education institutions.
How many pairings of States and higher education institutions are covered under Yuva Sangam Phase VII?
- A.10
- B.15
- C.20
- D.25
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is 20. Phase VII of Yuva Sangam enables young participants to experience the cultural heritage, traditions, educational landscape and developmental achievements of different States and Union Territories through twenty pairings of States and higher education institutions. Options A, B and D give ten, fifteen and twenty-five, none of which matches the figure for this phase, so each is wrong. The pairing model is the heart of the scheme: Odisha, for instance, is paired with Himachal Pradesh in this phase, with IIM Sambalpur leading the visiting delegation and NIT Hamirpur hosting it. Candidates should also remember that the Odisha delegates met President Droupadi Murmu on 7 October 2026, the first time Yuva Sangam delegates had interacted with the President of India.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the Odisha delegation of Yuva Sangam Phase VII in the news?
The delegation met President Droupadi Murmu on 7 October 2026 during its exchange visit to Himachal Pradesh. The Ministry of Education says it was the first time Yuva Sangam delegates had interacted with the President of India.
Which institutions are involved in the Odisha exchange?
IIM Sambalpur is the nodal institution leading the Odisha delegation, and NIT Hamirpur is hosting the group in Himachal Pradesh. The delegation reached the State on 5 October 2026 and also met Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.
Under which programme is Yuva Sangam run?
It is run by the Department of Higher Education in the Union Ministry of Education under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat. Phase VII uses 20 pairings of States and higher education institutions to send young people to a State other than their own.
Sources
- https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2321854 (opens in a new tab) — Press Information Bureau
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