Lok Sabha Question No. 1785 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-10
Subject: National Service Scheme for Youth Development
Ministry: YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS
Asked by: Shri Babu Singh Kushwaha

## Government of India

## Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1785

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 10.03.2025

## National Service Scheme for Youth Development

†1785. Shri Babu Singh Kushwaha:

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

- (a) whether the Government is promoting National Service Scheme (NSS) for the development of youth and if so, the manner in which students have been benefitted under the said scheme;
- (b) whether new steps have been taken by the Government for the welfare of the youths under Rashtriya Yuva Sashaktikaran Karyakram (RYSK);
- (c)  if  so,  the  details  of  schemes being run under this programme along with the major benefits thereof;
- (d)  whether  schemes  like  the  National  Youth  Conference  and  National Youth Festival brought any significant change in the active participation and social development of youth and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the details of the new schemes being proposed by the Government for the overall  development of the youth along with the objective thereof? ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS (DR. MANSUKH MANDAVIYA)

- (a) The Government is promoting National Service Scheme (NSS) for the development of youth. The sole aim of the NSS is to provide hands-on experience  to  young  students  in  delivering  community  service.  An  NSS volunteer who takes part in these community service programmes would get the exposure and experience for his/her holistic development through NSS  Regular  &  Special  Camping  programmes  and  also  other  special programmes  like  National  Integration  Camp,  Adventure,  Youth  Festival, Republic Day Parade, Youth Parliament Festival etc.

(b) & (c) Yes.  Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), an autonomous body under the Department, conducts programmes and activities through 623 District Nehru Yuva Kendras across the country.  The principal objective of NYKS is to mobilize, motivate, organize youth of the country and enhance their capacities to empower them to become productive and responsible citizens, assume local leadership to act as active partners in the process of community development and nation building activities with the spirit of equity and volunteerism.

The details of new steps taken/ programmes conducted by NYKS for the welfare of the youths along with the major benefits of the programmes are as following:

- i. Viksit Bharat Ambassador - Yuva Connect: The main objective is to mobilize youth engagement and leadership towards India's vision of becoming  a  developed  nation  by  2047,  focusing  on  economic, environmental, and governance domains.    It also aimed to guide the youth about their responsibility towards achieving the goal of Viksit Bharat.
- ii. Awareness  and Education Programme  on  Drug-Addiction and Substance Abuse: The program aims to address drug addiction and substance  abuse  among  youth  through  awareness  and  education programs, focusing on increasing awareness about harmful effects, promoting healthy alternatives, and developing life skills.
- iii. Inter District Youth Exchange Programme: The objective of the Inter District  Youth  Exchange  Programme  (IDYEP)  is  to  foster  mutual understanding and appreciation among youth from different districts by providing a platform to exchange ideas, share experiences, and celebrate cultural diversity. It aims to strengthen national integration through interactive activities, including cultural exchanges, field visits, and discussions on traditions and customs.
- iv. Inter State Youth Exchange Programme: The objective of the Inter State Youth Exchange Programme is to foster mutual understanding and appreciation among youth from different states by providing a platform  to  exchange  ideas,  share  experiences,  and  celebrate cultural diversity. It aims to strengthen national integration through interactive activities, including cultural exchanges, field visits, and discussions on traditions and customs.
- v. Border Area Youth Exchange Programme:  The Border Area Youth Exchange  Programme  (BAYEP)  aims  to  promote  national  unity, integrity, and mutual understanding by engaging youth from border and non-border districts in cultural exchange, discussions on socioeconomic issues, and awareness-building activities.

In addition, International Cooperation scheme under the umbrella scheme of Rashtriya Yuva Sashaktikaran Karyakram (RYSK) endeavors to create an  international  perspective  among  youth  in  collaboration  with  other countries  and  international  agencies/  organizations  on  various  youth issues.  Under  this  scheme,  International  Youth  Exchange  Programme (IYEP)  with  friendly  countries  are  taken  up  on  reciprocal  basis  for promoting  exchange  of  ideas,  values  and  culture  amongst  the  youth  of different countries and also to provide international exposure to the youth of India.

The  Department  of  Youth  Affairs  currently  have  32  Memorandum  of Understanding (MoU) /Agreement on cooperation on youth matters with different countries and 10 more MoUs are in pipeline to be signed with other countries on Youth matters. The details of the Youth Exchange Programmes and Youth Summit held in this financial year are as under:

- i. Two Indian Youth Delegates attended The Commonwealth Asia Regional Youth Leadership Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 21-26 April, 2024.
- ii. Two Indian Youth Delegates attended Y20 Pre summit in Brazil from 17-20 June, 2024.
- iii. 14-member Indian Youth Delegation visited Russia to participate in the 10th BRICS Youth Summit from 22-26 July, 2024.
- iv. Two Indian Youth Delegation Visited to Brazil to attend Y20 Summit from 10-17 August, 2024.
- v. 1 st   BIMSTEC  Youth  Summit  organized  by  India  from  7-11 February, 2025.
- vi. 21-member Poland Youth Delegation visited to India from 1927 February, 2025.
- vii. 100-member  Central  Asian  Countries  Youth  Delegation  is scheduled to India for 22-28 March, 2025.

viii. 50-member Indian Youth Delegation to Nepal is scheduled for 23-29 March, 2025.

- (d) This year, National Youth Festival (NYF) has been restructured and called Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue (VBYLD). VBYLD-2025 was an  effort  to  broaden  the  NYF  platform  and  engage  with  youth  more intensively. It was an effort to align with the Prime Minister's Independence  Day  vision  of  engaging  1  lakh  youth  in  public  affairs, providing them with a national platform to create a meaningful sphere of national  development  and  leadership  for  a  developed  India.  In  the dialogue, youth were encouraged to write about various aspects of Viksit Bharat. The dialogue encouraged them to dream big and work towards the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

VBYLD-2025 attracted 28,31,200 motivated youth nationwide, a total of around  2500  dynamic  youth  were  selected  to  participate  in  the  28th National Youth Festival: Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2025, held from  10th  -12th  January,  2025,  through  a  merit-based,  multi-stage process, representing India's most vibrant demographic of youth aged 1529.  The  presentations  emerging  out  of  the  dialogue  were  made  before Hon'ble Prime Minister. The VBYLD-2025 emerged as a landmark event, fostering the next generation of leaders, innovators and thinkers who will drive India's growth. Over 6 crore youth and others witnessed the event through various social media platforms.

- (e) In order to harness the potential and to optimally tap constructive and creative energies of the youth, the Department of Youth Affairs under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, pursues the twin objectives of personality-building and nation-building, that is, developing the personality of youth  and  involving  them  in  various  nation-building activities through its field organizations and various schemes such as NSS and NYKS.

Recently,  an  overarching  enabling  mechanism-  Mera  Yuva  Bharat (MY Bharat), an autonomous body under the Department of Youth Affairs has  been  established,  which  is  powered  by  technology,  for  youth development  and  youth  led  development  through  'Kartavya  Bodh'  and

'Seva Bhaav', during the Amrit Kaal.

A digital platform for MY Bharat (https://www.mybharat.gov.in/) has been developed on which the youth across the country can register and signup for various volunteering opportunities being made available on the portal.  The  envisioned  phygital  (physical  +  digital)  ecosystem  is  to empower young individuals to become catalysts for community transformation.

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