The National Youth Policy of India set forth in 2014 by Jitendra Singh, the then Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports. It is aimed towards encouraging the youth to work with elected representatives and has prescribed 11 priority areas. A Youth Council has also been set up at the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to aid with this and involve exceptional youngsters from all over the country in the process. The 11 areas of interest range from education, entrepreneurship, health and lifestyle, to sports, community engagement, social justice, employment and skill development.
For all of these salient features and the money invested, the National Youth Policy is still lacking in many ways. Here are some of them:
Proper Engagement
The policy talks about engaging the youth of the country and involving them in the political process and in issues relevant to them, however the national youth policy itself is an unknown to majority of the country and its masses. A lot of the people when asked about their thoughts on it were befuddled and did not even know that such a policy existed. That goes to show that the policy is already failing at the engagement aspect, and this was in a metropolitan city like Mumbai no less! The situation in tier 2 and tier 3 cities may be worse.
A lot of work has to go into the engagement aspect of the youth policy so that it reaches all ears and everyone can have an equal say in it its formulation and functioning.
Investment and Visibility
It is easy to say that the government spends 90,000 rupees per annum on youth development projects, but the proof of the pudding is in eating it, and there’s a huge difference between saying that said amount is spent and actually utilizing it for the good of the youth. 90,000 crores is a huge amount by any standard, a breakdown of its spending should be made available so that the taxpayers can see where their money is being spent, and if it is being used wisely or not.
A lot of changes and improvements in a lot of areas such as sports and infrastructure, etc, can be made if only a portion of said money is used. However, such development has not been visible, and hence the people remain unsure of it actually happening. To set their mind to rest, and to make them believe in the process, a breakdown of the money spent along with relevant proof and end product should be made available to the public.
Social Values
Though the Youth Policy mentions social values, in the year since it has been put into action, instead of a positive change, there has been a growing divide among the different sections of the Indian community. The Britons may have gone, but their ‘Divide and Rule’ mentality still persists, with the many parties more than happy to play caste politics and pit the people against one other in the name of power. That is one thing which must be truly abolished if the nation ever hopes to have peace and unity. It should be stamped out and forbidden. Instead of just being words on paper, the societal values need to be seen in action, and this must begin from our leaders.
A comprehensive discussion on social values needs to take place, beginning with improving tolerance and growing the bonds of humanity and brotherhood among each other.
The Youth Policy needs to go beyond being mere words on paper and take effect all over the nation for a better tomorrow.
Here is the link to download the National youth policy document. Image courtesy : https://yas.nic.in
Youth is the energy that can take the country to the doom or high. To make the most of the opportunity, we are required to monitor our youngsters in an effective manner. A better youth policy will help us frame the nation in a better manner and lead the revolution to be on the top. Current policy seems fair to the youngsters but the room for development and improvement is always open.