Delhi govt launches ‘Hauslon Ki Udaan’ talent hunt scheme for youth

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday launched ‘Hauslon Ki Udaan’, a talent hunt initiative aimed at identifying and promoting young talent across the national capital.

Addressing a press conference at the Chief Minister’s office, Gupta said the scheme would provide a platform to youth aged between 16 and 35 years to showcase their skills in various creative fields.

She said the Delhi government will soon launch an online portal through which eligible participants can register free of cost for the programme.

“Every young person has talent. They only need the right opportunity and platform to move ahead,” Gupta said.

Competitions under the scheme will be organised in seven categories, including singing, dancing, acting and theatre, fine arts and digital arts, sculpture and pottery, music composition, instrumental music, and poetry, according to a statement.

The initiative will be implemented by the Department of Art, Culture and Languages and will cover all 70 Assembly constituencies in Delhi, it stated.

Gupta said the programme would be conducted in four stages, beginning with online registration and screening of applications. This will be followed by cluster-level, zonal-level and state-level competitions.

More than 25,000 participants are expected to take part in the initiative, which has been allocated a budget of Rs 10 crore by the Delhi government, the statement said.

The chief minister said winners of the competition would receive cash prizes. Participants securing the first position in different categories will be awarded Rs 2.5 lakh, while the second, third, and fourth positions will receive Rs 2 lakh, Rs 1.5 lakh, and Rs 1 lakh respectively.

She added that 25 per cent weightage in the selection process would come from online public voting, while the remaining 75 per cent would be decided by an expert jury.

Gupta said the scheme was aimed not only at discovering talent but also at creating opportunities for young people from different social and economic backgrounds.

Delhi Art, Culture and Languages Minister Kapil Mishra, who was present at the launch event, said the initiative would help position Delhi as a “creative and youth capital” by providing aspiring artists and performers a larger platform to showcase their talent.

The grand finale of the competition is expected to be held in August, he said.