Yojana Summary – February 2023

Chapter 1: Initiatives for New India

Introduction

• India has one of the youngest populations in the world, as 27.2% of the country’s population belongs to the age group of 15-29 years.
• The youth of the nation is not only crucial for economic development but also for social and societal change and technological advancement.
• The government is taking several steps to involve youth in nation-building and skilling them to compete in global job markets.
• The government of India has often asserted “Jan Bhagidari se Jan Andolan”, which is incomplete without the active participation of youth.

Several initiatives taken by the government for the Youth

• Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan under the guidance of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MoYAS) organized various activities of the Swachh Bharat 2.0 programme.
• MoYAS is trying to engage the youth volunteers for personality-building and nation-building.
• A Capacity Building Training Programme was also launched for 14000 youth volunteers of NYKS to improve their skills
• A new National Education Policy 2020 was also brought for strengthening the education system in India.
• Universities and educational institutions are upgrading their sports infrastructure to enable the active participation of youth in the FIT India campaign. It will promote physical fitness and endurance and reduce carbon footprint.

Sports, Education, and Youth development

• Sport is a great unifier and equalizer. It is a key component for societal harmonization irrespective of cultural, language, and geographical differences.
• It is high time that society realizes sports as an attractive and rewarding career option.
• Khelo India Scheme was launched to boost the sports ecosystem of the country and support athletes. It organizes Khelo India youth games and winter games, among others, annually.
• Khelo India schemes established district-level Khelo India Centres, and Khelo India state centres of excellence.
• Additionally, the scheme has a robust early-stage talent identification and development mechanism. Financial assistance is also provided for training, travel, diet, medical expenses, and out-of-pocket allowances.
• Moreover, Khelo India Scheme is also promoting rural and indigenous games to revive India’s culture and tradition.
• To identify sports talent at a young age, nearly 23 lakh school students (in the age group of 5 to 18 years) are assessed through Khelo India Mobile App. Moreover, nearly 83000 physical education teachers have been trained to assess the sporting prowess of children.
• As a part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, the FIT India quiz (the biggest quiz on sports) was organized.

Way Ahead

• States can be encouraged to take up initiatives like “One State, One Sport” and prioritize one game based on the available infrastructure, talent pool, and interest of the residents.
• Sporting culture should be embedded in Indian society.
• More leagues/tournaments/competitions should be organized at local, district, and state levels.
• Government should handhold the youth towards international platforms.
• All required facilities and training services should be put in place.

Conclusion

A youthful mind, body and soul is the key to a healthy and fit India. The youth of a nation is the most progressive section and has the most crucial role in the vision of New India.

Chapter 2: Nurturing Excellence of Our Yuva Shakti

Introduction

• The demographic dividend of India, comprising the working-age population (between 15 to 64 years) is 67% (or 80 crores) of the total population.
• The period from 2020 to 2050 is considered to be the golden period of the Indian economy due to its demography.
• With an average of 1.2 crore new entries to the workforce every year, the Government’s role and responsibility have become all the more important for creating opportunities; strengthening education, skills, and entrepreneurship; improving public services; building infrastructure; integrating technology, and protecting labour.

India’s Startup Ecosystem

• India is the 3rd largest startup ecosystem in the world. 
• One in every ten global unicorns is claimed by India. Notably, India had only 4 unicorns in 2014 which has increased to more than 100 unicorns in 2022.
• Around 4000 patents were globally filed by India in 2014. It has reached approximately 15000 in 2022.
• In the ‘Global Innovation Index’, India improved its position from 81 in 2015 to 40th rank in 2022.
• Currently, there are around 77000 government-recognized startups in almost 656 districts of the country.
• The reasons behind a successful and sustainable startup ecosystem in India are the availability of data, outreach and marketing services, ease of doing business, and reduced compliance. 
• The technological revolution supported by the Digital India Mission has further contributed to the smooth, modern, and rapid transition of Indian markets.

Government interventions

• Schemes launched by the Government to improve the skills and employability of youth are:
  • Skill India Mission
  • MUDRA scheme
  • Digital India Mission
  • PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana to lay a foundation of proficiency, knowledge, and market-centric skills.
  • Production Linked Incentive scheme to boost the manufacturing sector (second largest employable sector).
• Access to holistic education:
  • A modern era of education reforms was ushered in for the holistic development of society. The most significant reform in this direction was NEP 2020.
  • The medical education system was improved by opening new AIIMS and introducing National Medical Commissions Act.
  • Eklavya Model Residential Schools have been established for the Scheduled Tribes.
  • New IITs and IIMs were added.
  • Navodaya Vidyalayas were also increased.
  • Cheaper education loans and scholarships are also provided.
• Interventions for enhancing Ease of Living:
  • Modern infrastructure and seamless service have a positive impact on enhancing the quality of life. It boosts the academic, vocational, and entrepreneurial integration of the young generation.
  • To improve the quality of living, the government has launched various schemes in multiple domains. For example,
    • Swachh Bharat Mission (2014) to build 11 crore toilets.
    • Ujjawala Yojana to provide cooking gas and make homes smoke-free.
    • Deendayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana and SAUBHAGYA scheme for providing electricity.
    • PM Awas Yojana for construction of houses.
    • Jal Jeevan Mission to provide functional tap water connection.

Conclusion

• Swami Vivekananda once said that “Give me hundred energetic youngsters and I shall transform India”.
• It is the youth of the country that will enable India to realize its full potential and dreams.
• Ways and means should be formed to tap the energy and ambition of the youth.

Chapter 3: FIT India: Towards a Healthy Future

Introduction: Significance of Sports

• Sports foster holistic development by improving physical and psychological well-being. It also improves cognitive abilities.
• Through sports, students learn fundamental principles like teamwork, fair play, respect for the rules, cooperation, discipline, and tolerance.
• It further promotes social cohesion among communities and cultures. It is also essential for future engagement in group activities and professional life.
• It helps in social and personal growth.
• The sports-integrated education helps in building peace, increases productivity, and strengthens human capital.
• Thus the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 emphasizes on sports-integration in pedagogical approaches that utilize physical activities even including indigenous sports.

FIT India Movement

• The FIT India movement was launched on 29 August 2019 to make fitness an integral part of daily life.
• According to World Health Organization, physical activity can promote good mental health and cognitive development.
• The vision of FIT India is to bring about behavioural changes and move towards a more physically active lifestyle.
• The goals and objectives of this are:
  • To promote fitness as an easy, fun, and free activity.
  • To spread awareness on fitness and various physical activities that promote fitness through focused campaigns.
  • To encourage indigenous sports.
  • To make fitness reach every school, college/university, panchayat/village, etc.
  • To create a platform for citizens of India to share information, drive awareness, and encourage sharing of personal fitness stories.

Initiatives undertaken to bolster FIT India Movement

• Samagra Shiksha Scheme: Under this scheme, a sports grant is provided to all government schools annually.
• FIT India School Movement: It encourages schools to organize a FIT India School Week in the month of November/December.
  • Fit India School week was launched in 2019 to raise fitness awareness among children, parents, and teachers.
  • It includes events like Yoga, dance, debate, symposiums, etc.
• FIT India Quiz: It was introduced in 2021, as a part of “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”. It encourages children all over the country to join fitness missions and live healthy lives.
• FIT India Freedom Run: All schools were urged to take part in the run and achieve a FIT India 3- or 5- Star grade.
• Football for Schools Programme: It is an ambitious FIFA-UNESCO programme with the aim to increase access to football for both boys and girls around the world. It further intends to help 700 million students around the world with their education, development, and empowerment.

Conclusion

• The sporting landscape of India has changed due to various efforts of the government. Sports has become an important component of socio-economic development.
• All the initiatives in the past few years have changed the mindset around sports and are promoting lifelong learning and leadership qualities among young kids.

Chapter 4: Youth and Health

Introduction

• Being the most productive age group, youth contributes immensely to the economic growth of the country.
• However, the younger generation faces many health issues due to their physiological state, behaviours, diet, work, etc.
• India has been ranked 8th among countries with the lowest physical activity globally.
• Moreover, reports show that 3 out of 4 adolescents and young individuals are not physically active enough as per the given recommendations.

Health Issues faced by the Youth

• Mental Health: It is a major challenge for the population of this age group. The reasons behind mental health issues are scholastic or workplace performance, violence, poverty and unemployment, stigma, marginalization, discrimination, humanitarian crises, etc.
• Alcohol and Drug Use: It is majorly associated with several high-risk behaviours that can also cause other diseases.
• Tobacco Use: It can cause cancer and increase the risk of other lifestyle diseases like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, etc.
• Physical Inactivity: It is estimated that only 20% of the young population exercises adequately. Inactivity is extremely common in females. 
• Diabetes and Hypertension: Diabetes is becoming a potential epidemic in India with every 1 in 10 adults suffering from it. Hypertension is also prevalent in one among five individuals.

Government Initiatives for a healthier youth

Way Ahead

• The stigma associated with mental health issues should be addressed.
• As per the WHO, people should engage in 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical exercise or 75 to 150 minutes of high-intensity aerobic exercise per week
• It is also found that 6 to 8 hours of regular sleep boosts immunity, reduces stress, and keeps away mental health issues. Thus, the sleep cycle of an individual should be kept sound.

Conclusion

“Healthy Youth today will make a Healthy Nation tomorrow”.

Chapter 5: Enablers for Employment

Introduction

• In April 2022, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MoYAS) released a Draft National Youth Policy with a 10-year vision for youth development. The policy is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 
• The five focus areas of the policy are:
  • Education
  • Employment and entrepreneurship
  • Youth leadership and development
  • Health, fitness, and sports
  • Social justice
• National Cadet Corps (NCC), National Service Scheme (NSS), and Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) are some organizations working in this direction.
• During the pandemic, young people faced numerous mental health issues like academic stress, peer pressure, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and learning difficulties.

Government interventions for students

• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi engages with students through an interactive session called ‘Pariksha pe Charcha’ that aims to create a stress-free environment for exams.
• Swayam Prabha is an initiative of the Government of India that helps learners in remote areas to get access to quality educational programs 24×7 through a group of 22 DTH channels.
• PM e-VIDYA enables multimode access to education by unifying all efforts related to digital/online/on-air education.
• The Ministry of Education has established the National Education Alliance for Technology (NEAT), implemented by the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to serve as a bridge between ed-tech businesses, academic institutions, and students.
• To bridge the digital divide, students can take online courses from class 9 till post-graduation on the SWAYAM portal.

Government interventions for career opportunities

• The Make in India initiative launched in 2014 is helping foster innovation, build world-class infrastructure, and make India a hub for manufacturing and design.
• Rozgaar Mela, a recruitment drive for 10 lakh personnel was launched in a mission mode.
• Karmayogi Bharat was launched, it is a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) under the administrative control of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) for capacity building of all government employees. It operates the iGOT (Integrated Government Online Training) Karmayogi platform.
• Karmayogi Prarambh is an online orientation course for all new recruits in various Government departments.
• Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Mela (PMNAM) is a part of the Skill India Mission that provides apprenticeship opportunities.
• Agnipath Scheme is launched by the government to recruit 46000 young people as ‘Agniveers’ in the armed forces for a four-year term.

Conclusion

Apart from government efforts, private and non-profit organizations should also contribute to increasing the participation of young people in nation-building.

Chapter 6: Youth for Environment Sustainability

Introduction

• Immediate action is required to deal with climate change and declining biodiversity, and to create pathways for environmental conservation.
• Youth-driven climate action initiatives could help augment the overall quality of education and attain net-zero emissions by 2030. It would further help in ensuring the quality of life for future generations on this planet.
• Innovative and focused approaches would be required to develop and prepare strategic frameworks, policies, and procedures; monitor land management, crisis, and disaster management; and conserve biodiversity.
• At present, there are 1.8 billion people between the ages of 10 and 24. This is the largest generation of youth in history. Moreover, around 90% of them reside in developing countries.
• The ability, ambition, and creativity of the younger generation should be utilized for sustainable cities and livelihoods.

Roles of Youth and SDGs

• Critical Thinkers: Youth can analyze and confront current power systems, challenges, biases, and inconsistencies.
• Change Makers: They can take action and mobilize others.
• Innovators: Youth can provide fresh perspectives and unique solutions.
• Communicators: They can spread the agenda among their peers both locally and internationally.
• Leaders: They are drivers of change if empowered with rights and responsibilities.

Significance of youth in environment sustainability

• Youth can play a crucial role in promoting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 15: Life on Land.
• They can actively contribute to preserving and enhancing the environment by sustainably altering their lifestyle and positively impacting the environment.

LiFE Movement

• In the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26), Glasgow, the Indian Prime Minister proposed the concept of LiFE.
• It promotes an environment-conscious lifestyle that focuses on ‘mindful and deliberate utilization’ instead of ‘mindless and wasteless consumption’.
• It seeks to encourage people to take small and regular steps toward a more sustainable future.
• The mission plans to create and nurture a global network of individuals, namely ‘Pro-Planet People’ (P3). These individuals will have a shared commitment to adopt and promote environment-friendly lifestyles.

Way Ahead

• Social media is a major source of information for youths. Thus it can be used to encourage a wider social learning process for sustainable development.
• A sustainable lifestyle should be promoted. For instance, reusing and recycling resources.
• A strong commercial environment must be incorporated into an ecosystem that supports young social entrepreneurs.
• There is a need for strengthening job placement procedures and educational programs for green careers.

Chapter 7: Youth Icons of India

Introduction

• The youth is a vital demography and a vital agent of change and progress.
• They can shape policy, influence markets, and reimagine social structures.
• They are a critical component in realizing the vision of AatmaNirbhar Bharat.

Some of the Youth Icons of India are:

• SUNDAR PICHAI
  • He is the CEO of Google. He was honoured with Padma Bhushan Award in 2022.
• SATYA NADELLA
  • He is Microsoft’s CEO and was also honoured with Padma Bhushan in 2022 for his contribution to trade and industries.
• NAVEEN TIWARI
  • He founded a consumer internet company that has highly disruptive digital platforms including Glance and Roposo.
• NIKHIL KAMATH AND NITHIN KAMATH
  • They built a full-service discount brokerage business Zerodha with zero external capital.
• RIFATH SHAROOK
  • India broke a global space record in 2017 due to the contribution of Rifath Sharook and his six teammates who developed the world’s lightest satellite called ‘KalamSat’.

Some of the Youth icons in the field of Sports

• Sharath Kamal Achanta: He is one of the most outstanding table tennis players in India who was awarded the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2022.
• Seema Punia: She received the Arjuna Award 2022 for her brilliant performance in the field of Athletics.
• Neeraj Chopra: He created history by winning India’s first-ever athletics gold in men’s javelin throw at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
• Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa: He is a teenager who created history by defeating the noted world chess champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway.

Chapter 8: Leading India towards Techade

Introduction

• Approximately 66% of the total population in India is below the age of 35. This can be pivotal in propelling economic and societal growth.
• It is imperative to involve youth in participatory governance because they are the future of the country. This will help in building civic capacity and long-term community sustainability.
• To place people at the centre of development, MyGov was launched in 2014. It is a citizen engagement platform that works with various government organizations and ministries to solicit the opinion of the general public.

MyGov 

• MyGov has used technology to reach out to the masses. The youth is the backbone of MyGov’s outreach platform. 
• It facilitates ‘Jan Bhagidari’ or public participation by:
  • Information Dissemination: It helps to reach out to beneficiaries and acts as a one-stop platform for citizens. Effective dissemination of information increases awareness and fosters cooperation.
  • Two-Way Communication: It provides two-way communication through social media and innovative platforms.
  • Transparency: Through MyGov, the selection process for various awards and schemes has become transparent. Increased transparency fosters accountability and enhances the trust and confidence of the citizens.
  • Fact Check: False information can quickly spread and have terrible consequences. MyGov can help citizens to know about facts and government announcements.
  • Infusing Collaborations: It enables citizen-citizen and government-citizen collaborations.
• It can act as a great networking platform for individuals who want to bring positive change.
• It facilitates creative disruption and out-of-box ideation. 
• The government has involved youth in preparing songs, taglines, jingles, logos, etc.

Way Ahead

• The young generation should also understand their value and know their role in nation-building.
• They should perform essential duties like sharing information, building capacity, seeking knowledge,  and serving as ambassadors of change.
• They should also work with the local governments to ensure the upliftment of the masses.

Conclusion:

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam once said: 

“I would like to put forth that the ignited mind of the youth is the most powerful resource on the earth. I am convinced that the youth power, if properly directed and controlled, could bring about transformational changes in humanity for its progress, meeting its challenges, and bring peace and prosperity.”