Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat

‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ is a government of India initiative that was launched by the Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi on “Rashtriya Ekta Divas” birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Through this program, the government aims to boost the existing cultural connect between different parts of the country and enhance interaction between people living in different states.

India is a unique country with diverse cultures, languages, and religions. With the “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat” program, the government tries to unify the country by letting the people for different states know about the cultures of other states.

Objectives of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat

Broadly, there are five objectives of the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Scheme as explained below.

• To Celebrate – To celebrate the unity and diversity of India. To strengthen and maintain the fabric of emotional bonds among the Indians.
• To Promote – To promote the integrity of the nation through a structured and deep engagement among all Indian state and Union territories.
• To Showcase – To showcase or display the rich heritage and culture, customs and traditions of either State so that people can understand and appreciate the diversity in India.
• To Establish – To establish long term engagements.
• To Create – To create an environment that promotes learning between States by sharing best practices and experiences.

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How does Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Scheme Work?

The working of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat is explained in the following points.

• Under this scheme, one state/ UT is paired with another state/ UT of the countries.
• Then, various engagement activities and programs are organized between the two states/ UTs to boost the heritage and culture of both states.
• For example – Punjab and Andhra Pradesh were paired for the year 2017.
• During this year, various activities took place in Punjab to boost the Andhra Pradesh Culture in the state and vice-versa.
• Engagement activities include organizing folk dance competitions, food festivals, translating books, etc.
• Please note that the pairing of states is subjected to change from time to time.

Ministries Participating in the Scheme

The following ministries of the central government are participating in the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Scheme.

• Department Of Higher Education – Central Universities, IITs, IIITs, IIMs, Nits, IISERs, Other CFTIs, RUSA Funded Institutions, AICTE Regulated Institutions, Etc.
• Department Of School Education & Literacy – NVS, KVD, DOSEL
• Department Of Sports
• Department Of Youth Affairs
• Ministry Of Culture
• Ministry Of Tourism
• Ministry Of Defence – Sainik Schools, Ncc
• Ministry Of Railways
• Ministry Of Home Affairs
• Ministry Of Information & Broadcasting – MIB, DD, AIR, DD News, BOC, PIB
• Ministry Of Parliamentary Affairs
• State

Key Activities

Here is the list of key activities that are performed regularly under the EK Bharat Shreshtha Bharat program.

• Encouraging fashion shows and frequent wearing of attire of the partnering State by the students and people of the State.
• Organizing National Quiz Competition in various languages on MyGov portal.
• Taking lead in organizing State Specific Quiz Competition on TV / Radio / MyGov portal in the language of the partnering State.
• Organizing Photography competition for the people of One State creating their portfolio on sites, places and objects in the Partnering State.
• Organizing Blog Competitions on Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.
• Organizing Cycling expeditions for the students / people of one State to the places in the partnering State.
• Organizing NCC, NSS Camps of students of one State at the locations in the partnering State.
• Translation of at least 5 Award Winning Books, 5 award winning songs of One State in the Language of Partnering State.
• Identification of proverbs having similar meaning in the languages of the two States and their translation and dissemination for interchangeable use.
• Cultural Exchange Programmes between partnering States with the help of troupes identified in the home State through Cultural Competitions.
• Exchange programme for Writers and poets etc. in the form of Literary Festivals.
• Culinary festivals with opportunity to learn culinary practices of partner State.
• Educational Tour by University Students reciprocally in the partnering States to bring out salient features of that State.
• Promotion of Home Stay culture for visitors from partnering States.
• Promotion of Rajya Darshan programmes for tourists from partnering States
• Organizing Familiarization Tours for the Tour Operators of one State to the partnering State.
• Exposure of students of one State to alphabets, songs, proverbs and 100 sentences in the languages of the partnering State.
• Organizing Drama(s) of other State in the educational institutions of the partnering State.
• Exchange of information on traditional Agricultural Practices and Forecasting among farmers in partnering States.
• Organizing Combined Tableau of Partnering States on the Occasion of 15th August and 26th January.
• Participation of Parade Contingents from one State in the Ceremonial Functions of the partnering State.
• Telecasting / Broadcasting of programmes of one State on the Regional TV / Radio channels of partnering States.
• Organizing Film Festivals in the State with Sub-Titles in the language of the partnering State.
• Encouraging the administration of oaths / Pledges in the two Languages of the pairing states.
• Inclusion of a few pages in the course books of schools in the language of the partnering State.
• Organizing Essay Competition among students in the language of the partnering State.
• Organizing Optional Classes in schools / colleges, where feasible, for learning the language of the partnering State.

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Currently Paired States

The EK Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Engagement Matrix between States and UTs is given below.

• Punjab: Andhra Pradesh
• Uttarakhand: Karnataka
• Rajasthan: Assam
• Maharashtra: Odisha
• Delhi: Sikkim
• Uttar Pradesh: Arunachal Pradesh& Meghalaya
• Chandigarh: Dadra & Nagar Haveli
• Lakshadweep: Andaman & Nicobar
• Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh: Tamil Nadu
• Himachal Pradesh: Kerala
• Haryana: Telangana
• Gujarat: Chhattisgarh
• Goa: Jharkhand
• Madhya Pradesh: Manipur& Nagaland
• Bihar: Tripura & Mizoram
• Puducherry: Daman & Diu

Check: Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Upcoming Events