Youth comprises of nearly 34% of India’s population and can be a potent force for growth and change if given right support and direction. The Government of India considers youth as an indicator of hope and a critical component in the larger vision for Aatmanirbhar Bharat. With this in mind, the Union Government has come up with a new draft National Youth Policy (NYP) 2021.
India’s first National Youth Policy was initiated in 1985, the International Year of
Youth, and finally formulated in 1988. It was then further revised in 2003 and 2014. The National Youth Policy of 2003 defined the term youth as a person between the ages of 13 and 35. The National Youth Policy of 2014 redefined this to only cover the ages between 15 and 29.
Understanding that changing aspirations of the youth in the country is vital, the new draft NYP 2021 has been developed in line with seeking to empower this group. The NYP draft outlines a 10-year vision for youth development that India aims to achieve by 2030. It is oriented towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the vision to ‘unlock the potential of youth to advance India’. The NYP 2021 focuses on five core areas: social justice, youth leadership and development, health, fitness, sports, and employment and entrepreneurship. The best part of this policy document is to acknowledge the most critical challenges faced by youth in the present scenario and suggesting some measures to counter them.
The draft policy has outlined steps for critical intervention towards health, education, skill building, entrepreneurship and leadership training. It also focuses on efforts to engage youth through technology, while highlighting the need for cohesively linking skilled workers with apt employment. Developing a fitness culture among the youth while bolstering access to health care and services is another focus area of the policy to ensure a holistic development.
HIGHLIGHTING INFORMAL SECTOR PROBLEMS
The policy lays emphasis on supporting the sizeable gig and informal economy, which employs a large number of young people. The interest of youth working in the gig and informal economies needs to be protected. The policy promises to implement and regulate laws so that these workers will have access to the required safety nets, health benefits, leave benefits and protection from discrimination and exploitation. To facilitate demand–supply matching for “gig” labour, the strengthening of the existing Unnati portal has been suggested.
ADDRESSING INTER-STATE MIGRATION CHALLENGE
Learning a lesson from Covid-19 havoc, the draft policy comes with timely intervention concerning the youth population who migrate from rural India to metropolitan regions in search of better job opportunities. The widespread migration harms the rural economy and strains the resources of big towns and cities. For the significant number of urban migrants, the GoI will create support services and also help multi-state agreements so that migrant youth may access government resources. Major migratory pathways have been delineated. To facilitate the migration of immigrants into the workforce, Migrant Support Centres will be built. These centres will provide assistance with, among other things, accessing utility services, obtaining career opportunities, and legal and regulatory concerns. However, the problems of migration of the labour force from the rural to urban areas had been highlighted in NYP 2003 also. So, the effect of the policy will be interesting to watch over in days to come.
The policy advocates the need for increasing budgetary allocation for youth development. The proposed activities under the policy will be governed by an inter-ministerial committee, which will be established along with a one-stop youth portal, making relevant information accessible and available publicly. The draft seeks specific action plans from several government organisations at the state, district, block, and village levels. Systematic monitoring and assessment of policy actions would be backed by open information sharing.
The policy is framed in the context of rapid urbanization, globalisation and automation changing the nature of employment and work culture skills. It also acknowledges the changes due to climate change that is affecting the present and future world. The implementation of the policy in its spirit thus not only becomes essential but also holds the key for the future of the country.
Shivendra Shandilya Research Scholar at the Central University of Jammu and Sammridh Varma is associated with India Foundation and Bihar Young Thinkers Forum.
Shivendra Shandilya is a Research Scholar at the Central University of Jammu.
SammridhVarma is an Alumnus of University of California Los Angeles & Cambridge Institute of Sustainable Leadership.