Lok Sabha Question No. 1630 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-20
Subject: Utilisation of Youth Potential
Ministry: YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS
Asked by: (ADV.) JOICE GEORGE

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF YOUTH AFFAIRS & SPORTS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1630 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.12.2018

## Utilisation of Youth Potential

1630. ADV. JOICE GEORGE:

Will the Minister of YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  is  aware  that  nearly  65  percent  of country's population is under the age of 35 making it a largely young nation and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government proposes to open platforms for utilizing youth as a potential power to help India advance on the global scale duly backed by substantial policy orientation and support;
- (c) if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government is satisfied with the existing schemes for youth empowerment in the country; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof ?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS [Col. RAJYAVARDHAN RATHORE (Retd.)]

- (a) India is among the nations in the World having relatively larger youth population, with about 65% of population under 35 years of age.  The youth in the age group of 15-29 years comprise 27.5% of the population.
- (b) & (c): National Youth Policy, 2014 (NYP-2014) has envisioned to empower youth  of  the  country  to  achieve  their  full  potential.  It  proposes  a  holistic

'vision' for the youth of India, which is 'To empower youth of the country to achieve their full potential, and through them enable India to find its rightful place  in  the  community  of  nations'.  The  following  are  Policy  Interventions recommended under NYP-2014 under each of the 11 identified Priority Areas which are summarized below: -

|   S. No. | Priority Area                            | Suggested Interventions                                                                                                                                                                        |
|----------|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|        1 | Education                                | Build system capacity and quality Promote skill development and lifelong learning                                                                                                              |
|        2 | Employment and Skill Development         | Targeted youth outreach and awareness Build linkages across system and stakeholders Define role of government vis-à-vis other stakeholders                                                     |
|        3 | Entrepreneurship                         | Targeted youth outreach programmes Scale-up effective programmes to build capacity Create customised programmes for youth entrepreneurs Implement widespread monitoring and evaluation systems |
|        4 | Health and healthy lifestyle             | Improve service delivery Awareness about health, nutrition and preventive care Targeted disease control programmes for youth                                                                   |
|        5 | Sports                                   | Increase access to sports facilities and training Promotion of sports culture among youth Support and development for talented sportspersons                                                   |
|        6 | Promotion of social values               | Formalise values education system Strengthen engagement programmes for youth Support NGOs and for-profit organisations working towards spreading values and harmony                            |
|        7 | Community engagement                     | Leverage existing community development organisations Promote social entrepreneurship                                                                                                          |
|        8 | Participation in politics and governance | Engage youth that are outside the political system Create governance mechanisms that youth can leverage Promote youth engagement in urban governance                                           |
|        9 | Youth engagement                         | Measure and monitor effectiveness of youth development schemes Create a platform for engagement with youth                                                                                     |
|       10 | Inclusion                                | Enablement and capacity building for disadvantaged youth Ensuring economic opportunities for youth in conflict- affected regions Develop a multi-pronged approach to supporting                |

|    |                | youth with disability Create awareness and opportunities to prevent youth being put at risk      |
|----|----------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 11 | Social Justice | Leveraging youth to eliminate unjust social practices Strengthen access to justice at all levels |

(d) & (e): The Department of Youth Affairs have 3 Schemes (i) Rashtriya Yuva Sashaktikaran  Karyakram  (RYSK)  which  consists  of  8  schemes  i.e.  Nehru Yuva  Kendra  Sangathan  (NYKS),  National  Youth  Corps  (NYC),  National Programme for    Youth  &  Adolescent  Development  (NPYAD),  Youth  Hostels (YH),  Assistance  to  Scouting  &  Guiding  Organisations,  National  Discipline Scheme (NDS), National Young Leaders Programme (NYLP) & International Cooperation  (IC);  (ii)  National  Service  Scheme  (NSS)  and  (iii)  Rajiv  Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development  (RGNIYD). The above schemes act as programmes for empowerment of the youth to enable them to realize their potential and in the process, contribute to the nation-building process. These programmes were subjected to midterm review recently and their continuation recommended.

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