A 51-member delegation from Madhya Pradesh will visit Karnataka from September 28 to October 3 under Yuva Sangam Phase VII, while a 53-member delegation from Karnataka will travel to Madhya Pradesh from October 10 to 17 as part of the reciprocal exchange, giving young people from the two States an opportunity to experience each other’s culture, traditions, educational institutions and developmental initiatives.

Central University of Karnataka (CUK) Vice-Chancellor Prof. Battu Satyanarayana, addressing a media conference along with Registrar Prof. R.R. Biradar at the university on Saturday (September 26, 2026), said that CUK was selected as the nodal agency for implementing the programme.

“Yuva Sangam Phase VII is being organised by the Ministry of Education under the ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ programme to promote interaction among young people from different parts of the country and provide them first-hand exposure to India’s cultural, social, educational and developmental diversity,” Mr. Satyanarayana said.

Opportunity for cultural appreciation

As per the information he shared, the 51-member Madhya Pradesh delegation will arrive in Kalaburagi on September 28. During its stay in Karnataka, the delegation will visit Tellur for community interaction, a jaggery unit in Humnabad and Bidar Fort, besides interacting with Bidri craftsmen.

“The delegates will subsequently visit the Indian Institute of Management-Bengaluru, the Indian Space Research Organisation, the Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum and Lok Bhavan before concluding their Karnataka visit,” the Vice-Chancellor said.

Mr. Satyanarayana said that the reciprocal exchange would see a 53-member Karnataka delegation visit Bhopal from October 10 to 17. The delegates will explore the cultural heritage, traditions, tourism, educational institutions and developmental achievements of Madhya Pradesh and interact with local youth, he added.

“As many as 5,926 applications were received from Karnataka for participation in the exchange programme. Based on merit and the Ministry of Education’s guidelines, 50 student and youth delegates were selected. The Karnataka delegation comprises 26 female and 24 male delegates, accompanied by three faculty coordinators. The exchange would provide meaningful opportunities for young people from Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh to develop a deeper appreciation of the country’s diverse cultural heritage,” he said.

Five themes

Prof. Biradar said that the programme was structured around five themes Paryatan (Tourism), Parampara (Traditions), Pragati (Development), Paraspar Sampark (People-to-People Connect) and Prodyogiki (Technology).

“The participants will get an opportunity to explore historical and cultural heritage, local traditions and lifestyles, development initiatives and governance, interact with local communities and learn about achievements in technology, innovation and education. The programme is intended to promote youth interaction, cultural learning and mutual understanding while strengthening the spirit of national unity and the concept of Unity in Diversity,” Prof. Biradar said.

Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh are among the State pairings identified by the Ministry of Education for Yuva Sangam Phase VII, with CUK serving as the nodal higher education institution for the Karnataka-Madhya Pradesh exchange.

Yuva Sangam coordinator Siva M. and cocoordinator Jagadish Biradar and faculty members Basavaraj Kuppagadde, Ganapati Sinnoor, Shirkanth Kusur and Venkataramana Doddi were present.