Nagpur: The fourth edition of National Environment Youth Parliament (NEYP) 2026, jointly organised by Vikasarth Vidyarthi and Environment Conservation Activity (PSG), will be held at the Vidhan Bhavan on February 14 and 15. The two-day event aims to encourage environmental awareness, green leadership and policy dialogue among youth from across the country.Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar will attend as the chief guest on Sunday. Devdutt Joshi, National Co-Organisation minister of ABVP, will deliver the keynote address on February, while Manali Kshirsagar, vice chancellor of Nagpur University, is among the co-organisers. Vice chancellors from various universities across the country are also expected to be present.Addressing a press conference, Students For Development national convenor Payal Rai shared details of the event. Nagpur Mahanagar secretary Virendra Paunikar and state media convenor Vaishnavi Pandey were also present.Vikasarth Vidyarthi, which works on environmental issues across university campuses throughout the year, focuses on developing a positive approach around five core themes — water, people, forests, land and animals. Since 2022, the organisation conducted the National Environment Youth Parliament to provide a platform for students to understand environmental challenges and contribute to discussions on policy solutions.The NEYP 2026 is being conducted in 3 phases. The 1st phase, held at the university level in September 2025, saw participation from over 50,000 students from nearly 400 universities. In the 2nd phase, around 4,000 students took part in each of the 10 climate zones, from which the best participants were selected. In the final stage, around 200 shortlisted students will gather in Nagpur for the 2-day Environment Parliament to deliberate on national environmental concerns and possible solutions.The sessions will focus on key themes such as water conservation, forests, land, animals and people, which are central to the Vikasarth Vidyarthi movement. The 1st session, titled “Five-Change and Climate Governance: Reviving India’s Ecological Wisdom in Modern Policy Frameworks,” will focus on integrating traditional ecological values into contemporary climate governance. The 2nd session, “India and the World at COP30: Can Indian Civilisational Sustainability Values Shape Ethical Leadership for Global Climate?” will explore India’s role in global climate discussions.An exhibition at the venue will highlight environmental values and tribal traditions of Vidarbha. A cultural programme showcasing the region’s heritage will also be organised. The participants are expected to act as environmental ambassadors on their respective university campuses and contribute to environmental awareness and policy engagement.
