Pema Khandu flags off Somnath Yatra for 40 Arunachalee students

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on September 25 flagged off a bus carrying 40 selected Arunachalee students for a Somnath Yatra to Gujarat as part of an educational and cultural exchange programme under the nationwide Somnath Swabhiman Yatra campaign.

The bus was flagged off at the AP Civil Secretariat in Itanagar by Chief Minister Khandu in the presence of Art and Culture Minister Dasanglu Pul and Chief Secretary Manish Gupta.

Organised by the Department of Art & Culture, Government of Arunachal Pradesh, under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, the yatra will take students from various universities and colleges to Somnath, Gujarat.

During the visit, the students will participate in cultural and educational engagements, experience the heritage of Somnath and showcase Arunachal Pradesh’s rich indigenous traditions.

Speaking to the media, Chief Minister Khandu lauded the initiative and highlighted its alignment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat”, aimed at strengthening cultural understanding and national integration through greater interaction among young people from different parts of the country.

The initiative is part of the broader Somnath Swabhiman Yatra, under which student groups from different states have been participating in educational and cultural visits to Somnath.

Khandu said such programmes provide young people with an opportunity to learn about India’s diverse cultural heritage while sharing the traditions and identity of their respective states.

The Arunachal students’ visit is expected to promote cultural exchange, educational exposure and a deeper understanding of India’s shared heritage, while strengthening connections between Arunachal Pradesh and other parts of the country.