New Delhi: Recognising the power of youth as future leaders and change-makers, FICCI CASCADE organised the 7th edition of its flagship youth programme Zero Evasion – Empowering Youth to Combat Smuggling & Counterfeiting at Federation House, New Delhi.
The initiative seeks to sensitise young minds about the harmful effects of smuggling and counterfeiting.
The programme drew over 600 students representing over 75 leading schools across Delhi-NCR. Students showcased their creativity and awareness through elocution, poster-making, and jingle-writing competitions, judged by a distinguished jury comprising Anil Sinha, Former Director, CBI; Sanjeev Tripathi, Former Chief, RAW; and P C Jha, Advisor, FICCI CASCADE and Former Chairman, CBIC.
P C Jha said, “The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow, and their awareness and involvement in curbing smuggling and counterfeiting is crucial. Such illegal activities not only endanger public health and safety but also drain the economy.”
Tripathi added, “Illegal trade threatens not just today’s economy but the very future of our nation. The youth, as catalysts of change, must recognise their power to reshape this narrative by rejecting illicit practices and championing a culture rooted in ethics, responsibility, and integrity.”
In the elocution competition, the top honours went to Sanvi Srijan of Bal Bharti Public School, Noida and Kenisha Dawar from Lotus Valley International, Gurgaon, Suhani Mahapatra of The Indian Heights School, Dwarka secured the second position and Abishta Jha of The Khaitan School, Noida came third. While, consolation prizes were awarded to Agrim Jain of The Shri Ram School, Zafar Raza of Panchsheel Balak Inter College, and Aadya Malik of The HDFC School, Gurgaon.
In the poster-making competition, Ouchitya Khurana of Lotus Valley International School bagged the first prize, followed by Upasana Nair of St. George’s School, Alaknanda in second place and Utkarshika Rajput, also from Lotus Valley International School, in third. The consolation awards went to Shaurya Bhatt of New Green Fields School, Saket and Partho Bar of Soami Nagar Model School.