Inaugurating the 25th National Youth Festival in Puducherry  on  the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, Prime  Minister  Narendra Modi on Wednesday asked youth to do "research" on   the forgotten  freedom  fighters  who did not get "recognition" and bring them to the forefront.

During the event, the Prime Minister via video conferencing unveiled selected essays on “Mere Sapno ka Bharat” and “Unsung Heroes of Indian Freedom Movement”.

These essays have been selected from submissions by over 1 lakh youth on the two themes.

Swami Vivekananda's birthday is celebrated as National  Youth  Day on January 12.

The Prime Minister said, "We have had many such fighters in the freedom struggle, whose contribution did not get the recognition that they deserved. The more our youth write, research about such dignitaries, the more awareness will increase in the coming generations of the country."

He also called upon the youth to be vocal and contribute in the drive for cleanliness.

The Prime Minister also inaugurated a Technology Centre of the MSME Ministry, established at Puducherry with an investment of about Rs. 122 crore. He also inaugurated the Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Manimandapam – an auditorium with an open-air theatre.

Greeting  the nation on National Youth Day and "bowing" to Swami Vivekananda, the Prime Minister said his birth anniversary in this year of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav is all the more inspiring.

The Prime Minister noted the added significance of this period as the celebration of the 150th birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo and also the 100th death anniversary of Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathi is falling in the same period.

“Both these sages have a special relationship with Puducherry. Both have been partners in each other’s literary and spiritual journey”, the Prime Minister said.

Commenting on the young profile of the ancient country, the Prime Minister said today, the world looks at India with hope and faith. Because, India’s demography is young, and the mind of India is also young.

"There is youth in India’s potential, and in its dreams. India is young in its thoughts as well as in its consciousness. India’s thinking and philosophy have always accepted change and there is modernity in its antiquity", he said.

The Prime Minister said that the youth of the country have always come forward in times of need. Whenever the national consciousness gets divided, youth like Shankar come and stitch the country in the thread of unity as Aadi Shankracharya. In times of tyranny, sacrifices of youth like the Sahibjaade of Guru Gobind Singh Ji guide us even today. When India needed sacrifice for its freedom, young revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad and Netaji Subhas came forward to dedicate their lives to the country.

"Whenever the country needs spiritual regeneration, sages like Aurobindo and Subramnayan Bharathi come to the scene", the Prime Minister said.

Union Ministers  Anurag Singh Thakur, Narayan Rane,  Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma and Nisith Pramanik, Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan and  Chief Minister of Puducherry N. Rangaswamy also virtually  attended  the function.