National Youth Parliament Competition 2019-20 for Universities/ Colleges

National Youth Parliament Competition 2019-20 for Universities & Colleges is conducted by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.  Applications are invited from the interested UGC/Government of India/State Government recognised Universities/ Colleges throughout the country. Each of the participating institutions will have to prepare a single team consisting of 50-55 students as a team member representing their institution. The main objective of this competition is to enable students to understand the working of the Parliament Institution. National Youth Parliament Competition is being conducted since 1997-1998.

There will be two types of Parliamentary Sessions

• Kishor Sabha (For Class 9-12 students)
• Tarun Sabha (For College/University students)

What will happen in the Parliament Session?

Stage 1 of the competition that is the Group Level will be conducted in the college premises itself and the duration of the sitting of the Youth Parliament should not exceed 55 minutes. Out of this, nearly 20 minutes may be devoted to Questions and the remaining time be utilised for discussion on Bills, Motions, Resolutions etc

• The interested Universities/Colleges who want to participate in the National Youth Parliament competition need to submit the application form along with four proformas duly filled and countersigned by the Competent Authorities to the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs

National Youth Parliament Competition will be held in two stages that is Group Level and National Level. The second stage will be the National Level between the winners of various groups.

National Youth Parliament Dates 2020

Purpose of the National Youth Parliament

• To make students understand the parliamentary procedure.
• To develop in students an insight into the working of parliament
• To make students consider public issues and form their opinion on them.
• To train students in the technique of group discussion
• To develop in students an ability to arrive at a decision after group discussion.
• To develop in them respect and tolerance for the views of others.
• To develop in them an understanding that respect for rules is essential for conducting any discussion systematically and effectively.
• To train students in group behaviour.
• To make students aware of various problems facing our society and the country.
• To develop in students the quality of leadership.
• To make students understand the common man's point of view and express it in an articulated manner.

The Reward for the Group Level and National level Competition are as follows:

Rewards for the Group Level Competition

The award will be given to each of the participating institutions selected by the evaluating panel for their meritorious performance.

At the group level of the competition, a certificate will be given to the coordinator and a maximum of 6 students from among the members of the team of each participating educational institution may be selected for award of individual prizes and certificates by the Ministry as follows:

Rewards for the National Level Competition:  The Following prizes or trophies will be given to the National Level Winners:

• Running Shield: The Institution that will be declared first at the National Level Competition will be awarded a running shield. If a particular Institution wins the shield for continuously three years, then the shield will be retained permanently by that institution.
• Trophies: The Institution that is declared first at the National Level will be awarded one trophy.
• Prizes and Certificates: The shortlisted meritorious students selected by the evaluating panel for their performances at the National Level Competition will be awarded prizes and certificates. A minimum of eight students will be selected by the evaluating panel for the prizes and certificates at the group level.

The institutions that are schools, colleges and universities have to register for National Youth Parliament then they have to select the students who would be representing the institution. The schools/college should use the following qualities to shortlist students for National Youth Parliament. 

• Students who have debating abilities.
• Students who are well-informed and who have fairly good knowledge of our country's social, economic and political problems.
• Students who hold merit positions in their classes.
• Students who have leadership qualities and are interested in extracurricular activities.
• Students who are studying in secondary and higher secondary classes.

National Youth Parliament Competition will be held in two stages according to the number of participating institutions as follows:

• First Stage: The first stage is the Group Level where the institution will be divided into various groups.
• Second Stage: The second stage will be the National Level between the winners of various groups.

National Youth Parliament Selection Process

The Ministry of Parliamentary affairs schedules and finalizes the Group and National Level Competition. Each of the participating institutions will prepare a single team consisting of 50-55 students as a team member representing their institution.

Group Level: The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs may nominate a coordinator from amongst the participating Institutes in order to coordinate and conduct the competition in respect of that group and submit a report thereon to the Ministry. The youth Coordinator will also mention three probable dates for organizing Group and National Level Competition.

• The participants interested in being the group coordinator can express has to express his/her willingness to in the Proforma before the Orientation Course. The group Coordinator will be reimbursed cheapest airfare for evaluating the performance of educational institutions in his/her Group.

Youth Parliament Competition Session

Subjects to be discussed: The matters to be discussed in the Youth Parliament session may be related to the subject of welfare activities such as defence, social reforms, economic development, communal harmony, public health, education, internal security, use of modern technology etc. Special emphasis may lay on issues relating to human rights, health, and education.

Duration: The duration of the sitting of the “Youth Parliament” should not exceed 55 minutes. Out of these 55 minutes, 20 minutes should be given to Questions and the remaining time will be utilized for discussion on Bills, Motions, resolutions etc. during the Orientation Course conducted by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs before the commencement of each competition.

Language: The participants may speak in Hindi/English. While their speech at the parliament, they should not make any direct or indirect remarks which may cause aspersion on political leaders/parties/persons etc. The topic should not be controversial and must be based on actual events of recent occurrences should be avoided.

Youth Parliament Session Suggested Topics

Certain suggested subjects for discussion in ‘Youth Parliament Competition’ for the Universities/Colleges are given below:

• Should Parliament have unfettered powers of legislation?
• Implementation of the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme- how the allocations should be made/execution of works be monitored.
• Human Rights with the focus on the right of life enshrined in Articles 21 and 22 of the Constitution.
• Reservation for women in legislative bodies and in services.
• Need to prescribe some minimum education and experience in public service for legislators.
• National integration with a focus on the growth of ethnicity.
• Matters regarding population control and policy with the focus on legislation to provide incentives/disincentives.
• Electoral Reforms with a focus on corruption.
• Right of legislators to decide their own perks. How else to decide?
• Ways to provide a competent and stable Government in the event of a hung Parliament.
• Privileges and Code of Conduct for the legislators.
• Ways to check corruption and inefficiency in the Public Sector.
• Caretaker Government – Status and Functioning
• Presidential Form of Government.
• Proportional representation/list system.
• People‟s rights to good governance.
• Representation of Sportspersons, Beauty Queens, and Cine-stars in legislative bodies.

Group Level Competition Evaluation: The Group Level will be evaluated by a team consisting of the following members:

• A Member of Parliament/Ex-member of Parliament
• A group Coordinator to be appointed by Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs from among the Institutions not participating in that group for evaluating the performance of the short sittings of the youth parliament of all Institutions in that Group.
  • The Group Coordinator appointed by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs should ensure that the Member of Parliament/Ex-Parliament member arranged by the Institution has the knowledge of both Hindi and English.
• A reputed academician from a non-participating educational institution to be decided preferably in consultation with Group Coordinator.

National Level Competition Evaluation:  Each team at the National Level Competition will be evaluated by a panel of judges consisting of the following:

• Member of Parliament/Ex-member of Parliament;
• An officer of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and
• An academician of repute from a non-participating institution preferably in consultation with Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs/Group Coordinator.

The National Youth Parliament Competition is conducted on an annual basis in every academic year. The main objective to conduct the Youth Parliament Competition is to strengthen the roots of democracy, teach healthy habits of discipline, tolerance of different viewpoint.

Section Officer, Youth Parliament Section, 
Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, New Delhi

Phone: 011-23034759