India is a unique nation, whose fabric has been woven by diverse linguistic, cultural and religious threads, held together into a composite national identity by a rich history of cultural evolution, coupled with a rousing freedom struggle that was built around the tenets of non-violence and justice. The spirit of mutual understanding amidst a shared history has enabled a special unity in diversity, which stands out as a tall flame of nationhood that needs to be nourished and cherished into the future.
States/UTs in India were paired till March 2019. The paired States/UTs signed MoUs with each other, delineating a set of activities that they would carry out. An activity calendar for each pair was prepared through mutual consultation, paving the way for a year long process of mutual engagement. Such interaction between different segments of the population of each pair of States /UTs at the cultural level, generated the vibrance of understanding & appreciation amongst the people and forge mutual bonding, thus securing an enriched value system of unity in the nation. The same pairing of States/ UTs will continue till June 2020. After the creation of UT of Ladakh, it has been paired along with Jammu & Kashmir with Tamil Nadu. The pairing of States/ UTs is available on the website. New pairing of States/ UTs may come into force from 01.07.2020.
The broad objectives of the initiative are as follows