The Union Ministry of Education (MoE) and the National Book Trust (NBT) of India have launched the third edition of the PM YUVA scheme on March 11, 2025. Known as Prime Minister’s Young Authors Mentorship Scheme, the initiative aims to nurture young writers under 30 years of age, providing them with mentorship and exposure to hone their creative writing skills. YUVA 3.0 builds upon the success of its predecessors, YUVA 1.0 and YUVA 2.0, continuing the government’s commitment to fostering literary talent and promoting reading, writing, and book culture in India. The scheme aligns with the vision of Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat, encouraging the documentation and dissemination of India’s rich cultural heritage and knowledge.
Theme and Focus:
The Themes of PM-YUVA 3.0 are: Contribution of Indian Diaspora in Nation Building; Indian Knowledge System; and Makers of Modern India (1950-2025). The scheme will help to develop a stream of writers who can write on various facets of India encompassing the past, present and future. Besides, the scheme will also provide a window to the aspiring youth to articulate themselves and present a comprehensive outlook of contribution of Indians across fields in ancient and present times.
The scheme invites applications from aspiring writers through MyGov India’s online portal. This process shortlists 50 young authors based on a well-defined evaluation criterion. The National Book Trust (NBT) will constitute the selection committee. Applicants are required to submit a book proposal of 10,000 words, which is then reviewed by a panel. The shortlisted candidates undergo a multistage selection process before the final selection.
Selected authors receive a mentorship program spanning six months. The authors undergo workshops, interactions with mentors, and exposure to India’s literary ecosystem. They receive financial assistance of ₹50,000 per month for six months. Their works are published and promoted by the NBT in multiple languages.
Under the mentorship, a National Camp will be held for the PM-YUVA 3.0 Authors during the New Delhi World Book Fair 2026. Selected authors get the opportunity to present their work at literary festivals and international forums.
National Education Policy 2020 has emphasized on the empowerment of the young minds and creating a learning eco-system that can make the young readers/learners ready for leadership roles in the future world. India is considered to be a ‘young country’ because 66% of its total population are young and can be tapped for capacity and nation building. In this context, a national scheme for mentoring generations of young authors has proven to be a significant stepping stone for laying the foundation of the future leaders of the creative world.
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This scheme has been conceptualised on the premise that the 21st century India needs to groom a generation of young authors to create ambassadors of Indian literature and world view. In view of the fact that our country is ranked third in the arena of book publishing and we have a treasure trove of indigenous literature, India must project it at the global stage. The first mentorship scheme was launched on 31st May 2021, then subsequently in October 2022 and now in March 2025.
