EK Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Programme

EK Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Programme By Department of Sports Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports The idea of a sustained and structured cultural connect between denizens of different regions was mooted by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi during the Rashtriya Ekta Divas held on 31st October 2015, to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. This initiative was named as Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (EBSB). In EBSB, every State and UT in the country would be paired with another State/UT for a year, during which they would carry out a structured engagement with one another in the spheres of Sports, language, literature, cuisine, festivals, cultural events, tourism etc. All the 36 States/UTs in India have been paired for an entire year. For example, Andhra Pradesh is paired with Punjab and Goa is paired with Jharkhand till March 2019. During the year, the combined teams of Punjab and Andhra Pradesh and the combined team of Goa and Jharkhand would play the selected sports disciplines to celebrate unity in diversity and promote National Integration. This opportunity will be taken to exchange the diverse culture of paired States/UTs. The broad objectives of EBSB are as follows i. To CELEBRATE the Unity in Diversity of our Nation and to maintain and strengthen the fabric of traditionally existing emotional bonds between the people of our Country; ii. To PROMOTE the spirit of national integration through a deep and structured engagement between all Indian States and Union Territories through a year-long planned engagement between States; iii. To SHOWCASE the rich heritage and culture, customs and traditions of either State for enabling people to understand and appreciate the diversity that is India, thus fostering a sense of common identity iv. To ESTABLISH long-term engagements and, v. To CREATE an environment which promotes learning between States by sharing best practices and experiences.

Pairing of States up to March 2019

S.No.	Paired States
1	Jammu & Kashmir : Tamil Nadu
2	Punjab : Andhra Pradesh
3	Himachal Pradesh : Kerala
4	Uttarakhand : Karnataka
5	Haryana : Telangana
6	Rajasthan : Assam
7	Gujarat : Chhattisgarh
8	Maharashtra : Odisha
9	Goa : Jharkhand
10	Delhi : Sikkim
11	Madhya Pradesh : Manipur & Nagaland
12	Uttar Pradesh : Arunachal Pradesh & Meghalaya
13	Bihar : Tripura & Mizoram
14	Chandigarh : Dadra & Nagar Haveli
15	Puducherry : Daman & Diu
16	Lakshadweep : Andaman & Nicobar