At the third Yuva Sustainability Conference and Awards 2026, Voices of Bharat: Yuva for Sustainability marked a key milestone by felicitating its first cohort of sustainability storytellers on the successful completion of their internship, while simultaneously inducting its second cohort. The conference and awards ceremony was organised in collaboration with the India Habitat Centre, underscoring the growing national focus on youth-led sustainability narratives.
In a message issued ahead of the event, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister of Culture and Tourism, Government of India, said: “I applaud Voices of Bharat: Yuva for Sustainability for integrating culture, storytelling and sustainability. My congratulations to Lok Samvad Sansthan and Sustainability Karma for inspiring youth-led change rooted in India’s heritage.”
The Yuva Sustainability Champions 2026 come from different disciples and different parts of the country: Anoushka Parijat Rudra, PGDM Energy Management, NTPC School of Business (Delhi); Apoorva Mittal, M.Sc. Botany, University of Rajasthan; Arka Mukhopadhyay, Dairy Technology, West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences; Gaurangii Hari, BA (Hons.) Economics, Amity University (Noida, Uttar Pradesh); Ishika Bhardwaj, BAJMC, Haridev Joshi University of Journalism and Mass Communication (Rajasthan); Mohd Zishan Saifi, BCA, Shanti institute of Technology (Uttar Pradesh); Ravi Ranjan Singh, author and filmmaker (Mumbai, Maharashtra); Sabyasachi Senapati, MSc Chemistry, SCS Autonomous College (Puri Odisha); Shubh Agarwal, Finance, CA Finalist, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (Pune, Maharashtra); Tanveer Kaur, Journalist, The Indian Express (Delhi); Teeshtha Bhawsar, BA Economics Honours, Kanoria PG Mahila Mahavidyalya (Rajasthan); Lavanya Upadhyay, Master’s in Public Policy, St.Xavier’s College (Mumbai).
Eminent speakers at the conference included Dr Anil Prakash Joshi, Padma Bhushan awardee and Founder of HESCO; Peepal Baba; Anshu Gupta, Magsaysay Awardee and Founder of Goonj (online); Prof K G Suresh, Director of the India Habitat Centre; Dr Angelo George, CEO of Bisleri International; and Dr Dev Swarup, Vice Chancellor of Vishvakarma Skills University and Baba Amte Divyang University.
In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Yuva Sustainability Internship Programme has engaged young people across the country to sensitise over 10 million citizens on sustainability and climate action through All India Radio and digital platforms.
At its core, the initiative addresses people, planet and prosperity not as buzzwords but as lived realities. It was launched on World Environment Day 2025 by Bhajanlal Sharma, Chief Minister of Rajasthan, with a clear vision to empower youth as storytellers of sustainability. Yuva for Sustainability focuses on building storytelling skills among students, enabling them to communicate climate issues with clarity, creativity and purpose.
The initiative has been also endorsed by Sanjay Sharma, State Minister for Forest, Environment and Climate Change, Government of Rajasthan, and Manju Bagmar, State Minister for Women and Child Development, Government of Rajasthan.
It is guided by an advisory board comprising five serving and former vice-chancellors, ensuring strong academic and institutional grounding.
Its education partners include Haridev Joshi University of Journalism and Mass Communication, Vishwakarma Skills University, Central University of Kashmir, IMT University, Apex University and Kanodia PG Mahila Mahavidyalaya
Industry partners supporting the initiative include Bisleri International, UFlex, Tetra Pak and the Rajasthan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.