Lok Sabha Question No. 2543 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-05-10
Subject: Development of Adolescents & Youths
Ministry: YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS
Asked by: MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI

## MINISTRY OF YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF YOUTH AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2543 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10.5.2016

## DEVELOPMENT OF ADOLESCENTS & YOUTHS

## 2543.  SHRI MANOJ TIWARI:

- (a) whether the  Government  has  started  any  flagship  programme  for  the development of adolescents and youths of the country;
- (b)   if  so,  the  details  including  the  objectives  and  salient  features  along
- with the financial allocation for the aforesaid programme; and (c) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS (SHRI SARBANANDA SONOWAL)

(a,  b  &  c)  The  Ministry  of  Youth  Affairs  and  Sports  has  a  new  umbrella Scheme called 'Rashtriya Yuva Sashaktikaran Karyakaram' (RYSK) along with two other schemes namely National Service Scheme (NSS) and Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD) for the development  of  adolescents  and  youth  of  the  country.  The  proposed financial  allocation for the above Schemes for 2016-17 is Rs. 500 crores under Plan and Rs. 96  crores under Non  Plan.   The details  including  the objectives and salient features of the above schemes are Annexed.

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## 1.Rashtriya Yuva Sashaktikaran Karyakram (RYSK)

## Background:

Youth  represent  the  most  dynamic  and  vibrant  segment  of  the population. India is one of the youngest nations in the world and is expected to have a very favourable demographic profile in the time  to  come.  In  India,  youth  in  the  age-group  of  15-29  years constitute  27.5%  of  the  population.  It  is  expected  that  by  the year 2020, the population of India would have a median age of 28 years only as against 38 years for US, 42 years for China and as high as 48 years for Japan.  This 'demographic dividend' offers a great opportunity.

The  challenge before the nation is to develop  and empower its huge youth population as productive work force. The Government has introduced National Youth Policy, 2014 with the VISION '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 Department of Youth Affairs has been operating a number of Schemes for development and empowerment of youth. Some of the  Schemes  have  Annual  Outlay  of  less  than  Rs.10  crores.  In order to improve the effectiveness of these Schemes, it has been considered  necessary  to  merge  these  Schemes  into  a  single Scheme, which can act as the flagship scheme of the Department. This will help in achieving better synergies between the Schemes and thereby, improve their effectiveness and help in achieving better outcomes with the available resources.

## Scheme Beneficiaries:

The Scheme beneficiaries shall be the youth in the age-group of 15-29 years, in line with the definition of 'youth' in the National Youth Policy, 2014. In case of programme components specifically meant for the adolescents, the age-group shall be 1019 years.

## Scheme Components:

The following existing Schemes/ Programmes shall get subsumed in the Rashtriya Yuva Sashaktikaran Karyakram (RYSK):

- 
- 
- Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS).
- National Youth Corps (NYC).
-  National Programme for Youth and Adolescent Development (NPYAD).
-  International Cooperation (IC).
-  Youth Hostels (YH).
- 
- Assistance to Scouting and Guiding Organisations.
-  National Discipline Scheme (NDS)
-  National Young Leaders Programme (NYLP).

A  broad  outline  of  each  of  the  above  Scheme  components  is given below.

## (a). Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS):

NYKS, launched in 1972, is one of the largest youth organisations in  the  world.  NYKS  currently  has  about  8.43  million  youth enrolled  through  2.98  lakh  youth  clubs/  mahila  mandals.  NYKS has presence in 623 Districts through Nehru Yuva Kendras. The Objective is to develop the personality and leadership qualities of the youth and to engage them in nation-building activities .

NYKS,  an  autonomous  organisation  under  the  Department,  is  a Society  registered  under  the  Societies  Registration  Act,  1860. NYKS has a General Body and a Board of Governors (BoG). The Board of Governors is chaired by the Minister in-charge of Youth Affairs and Sports, with the Director General, NYKS acting as the Member-Secretary. The Director General, NYKS acts as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Organisation. NYKS has 29 Zonal Offices at State Level besides its National Headquarter at New Delhi.  The  activities  of  NYKS  are  carried  out through  a  District Youth Coordinator (DYC) in each District (who is in-charge of the

Nehru Yuva Kendra in the  District) and  2 National Youth Corps (NYC)  volunteers  in  each  Block.  NYC  volunteers  act  as  an interface between the District NYK offices and the youth clubs/ mahila  mandals. In  addition  to  be  above,  there  are  Advisory Committees  at  District  and  State  levels,  comprising  of  official and non-official members. The Advisory Committee at the District is headed by the District Collector or the Dy. Commissioner of the District and the Advisory Committee at the State level is headed by the State Minister in-charge of Youth Affairs .

## Programmes/ Activities of NYKS: The Programmes/ Activities of NYKS broadly fall in the following categories:

-  Core Programmes:  These are the programmes implemented by NYKS with its own budgetary resources (Block Grants released by  the  Department).  These  include  Youth  Club  Development Programme,  Training  on  Youth  Leadership  and  Community Development, Theme-based Awareness and Education Programme,  Promotion  of  Sports,  Skill  Up-gradation  Training Programme, Promotion of Folk Art and Culture, Observance of Days of National and International importance, District Youth Convention and Yuva Kriti, Awards to Outstanding Youth Clubs, etc.
-  Programmes  organised  with  funding  from  NPYAD:    These include  National  Integration  Camps  (NICs),  Youth  Leadership and Personality Development Programmes (YLPDPs), Life Skill Training Programmes and Adventure Camps.
-  Programmes  organised  with  funding  from  other  Ministries/ Organisations: These include Tribal Youth Exchange Programmes,  Adolescent  Health  and  Development  Project (AHDP), Projects on Awareness and Education for Prevention of Drug Abuse and Alcoholism in Punjab, etc.
-  Programmes in coordination with various Departments/ Agencies: NYKS does not receive any funding, but organises/ participates in various programmes  in coordination with various  Development  Departments/  Agencies.  District  NYKs and the NYC volunteers closely work with other Development

Departments/ Agencies and carry out the activities by actively involving the youth clubs/ mahila mandals. Some such activities are blood donation, plantation of saplings, formation of  SHGs,  organisation  of  health/  eye/  immunisation  camps, enrolment  of  children  in  schools,  campaign  against  social evils, etc.

## (b) National Youth Corps (NYC) Scheme:

NYC Scheme was introduced w.e.f. 01.04.2010. NYC Scheme is a Scheme of the Department, but the same is implemented through NYKS.  NYC  Scheme  is,  therefore,  already  fully  integrated  with NYKS. Under the Scheme, youth in the age-group of 18-25 years are  engaged  as  volunteers  to  serve  upto  maximum  2  years  in nation-building  activities.    The  minimum  qualification  for  NYC volunteers  is  Class-X  passed  and  they  are  paid  honorarium  @ Rs.2,500/- per month.  The selection of NYC volunteers is done by a  Selection  Committee,  headed  by  District  Collector/  Deputy Commissioner  of  the  concerned  District.  The  volunteers  are given 15-day Induction Training at the time of joining and 7-day Refresher Training in the second year of their tenure. At the end of the 2-year tenure of NYC volunteers, NYKS provides them skill development  training  so  that  they  can  get  some  employment after their  term  with NYKS ends.    After 2  years,  another set of NYC volunteers are recruited.

As mentioned earlier, normally 2 NYC volunteers are deployed in every Block. They act as an extended arm of NYKS in the Block and play an active role in implementation of various programmes and initiatives of NYKS through youth clubs/ mahila mandals.

## (c) National  Programme  for  Youth  and  Adolescent  Development (NPYAD):

NPYAD  Scheme  was  introduced  w.e.f.  01.04.2008.  Under  this Scheme,  financial  assistance  is  provided  to  Government/  nonGovernment  organisations  for  taking  up  youth  and  adolescent activities.  The  assistance  under  NPYAD  is  provided  under  5 major components, namely,

- 
- Youth Leadership and Personality Development Training
-  Promotion of National Integration (National Integration Camps, Inter-State  Youth  Exchange  Programmes,  Youth  Festivals, etc.)
-  Promotion  of  Adventure;  Tenzing  Norgay  National  Adventure Awards
-  Development  and  Empowerment  of  Adolescents  (Life  Skills Education, Counselling, Career Guidance, etc.)
-  Technical  and Resource Development (Research and  Studies on Youth issues, Documentation, Seminars/ Workshops)

Some salient activities taken up under NYPAD, besides providing assistance to various organisations, are as follows:

-  National Youth Festival and National Youth Awards: A National Youth Festival is organised during January every year to commemorate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda (12 th  January), which is also celebrated as National Youth Day. The  Festival  is  organised  in  one  of  the  States  willing  and equipped  to  host  it.  About  5,000  youth  come  from  all  the States/ UTs to participate in the Festival. During the Festival, National Youth Awards are conferred on young individuals and NGOs for excellent work done for nation-building/ community service.
-  Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award: The Tenzing Norgay  National  Adventure  Award  is  the  highest  national recognition for outstanding achievements  in  the  field of adventure  on  land,  sea  and  air.    Tenzing  Norgay  National Adventure  Awards  are  conferred  by  the  Hon'ble  President  of India, along with Arjuna Awards, in a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the month of August every year.
-  UNFPA-assisted  Adolescent  Health  &  Development  Project: This Project is part of larger programme of funding of UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) for the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. The main objective of the Project is capacity building  of  adolescents.  The  Project  is  being  implemented through NYKS.
-  North  East  Youth  Festival:    During  May,  2015,  a  North  East Youth  Festival  was  organised  at  Majuli  in  Jorhat  District  of Assam through NYKS.  About  2,100  youth  participated  in  the Festival.

## (d) International Cooperation:

The Department endeavours to create an international perspective  among  youth  in  collaboration  with  other  countries and international agencies/ organizations on various youth issues.  The Department also collaborates with UN Agencies like United  Nations  Volunteers  (UNV)/  United  National  Development Fund (UNDP) and the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) on various youth related issues.

International  Youth  Exchange:    Exchange  of  Youth  Delegations with  friendly  countries  is  taken  up  for  promoting  exchange  of ideas, values and culture amongst the youth of different countries and also to promote peace and understanding. It helps in developing international perspective among the youth. Currently,  such  programmes  are  going  on  with  China,  South Korea,  Bangladesh,  Sri  Lanka,  Nepal,  Vietnam,  Bahrain,  Japan, Maldives etc.  Steps are being taken to initiate such programmes with more countries.

Collaboration with UN Agencies/ CYP:  The Department is closely working  with  United  Nations  Volunteers  (UNV)/  United  National Development  Programme  (UNDP).  Recently,  a  Project,  namely, 'Strengthening of NYKS and NSS', has been taken up jointly with UNDP/  UNV,  at  a  total  cost  of  US$  23,43,434.  The  Department also releases $15,000 per annum as India's voluntary contribution for UNV Programme.  The Department is also closely working  with  Commonwealth  Youth  Programme  (CYP).  India contributes to CYP annual pledge money of about Rs.1.15 crore. During July,  2015, India  hosted the Asia Region Commonwealth Youth Ministers' Meeting at New Delhi.

## (e)

## Youth Hostels:

Youth Hostels are built to promote youth travel and to enable the young  people  to  experience  the  rich  cultural  heritage  of  the country.  The construction of the Youth Hostels is a joint venture of  the  Central  and  State  Governments.    While  the  Central Government bears the cost of construction, the State Governments  provide  fully developed  land  free-of-cost, with water supply, electricity connection and approach roads.  Youth Hostels provide good accommodation for the youth at reasonable rates. The  Youth Hostels are looked after by Managers, appointed by the Central Government.  For each Hostel, a Hostel Management  Committee  (HMC)  is  constituted  to  oversee  the management  related  issues  for  an  efficient  functioning  of  the Hostel.  The HMC is headed by a State Government functionary (Collector/  DC  at  the  District  level/  Secretary,  Youth  Affairs/ Sports in the State Capital).

So  far,  83  Youth  Hostels  have  been  constructed  across  the country and one more Youth Hostel, at Roing (Arunachal Pradesh), is in advanced stage of completion.

## (f) Assistance to Scouting and Guiding Organisations:

The Department provides assistance to the Scouting and Guiding Organisations,  with  a  view  to  promote  the  Scouts  and  Guides movement  in  the  country.  This  is  an  international  movement aimed  at  building  character,  confidence,  idealism  and  spirit  of patriotism and service among young boys and girls. Scouting and Guiding  also  seeks  to  promote  balanced  physical  and  mental development among the boys and girls.

The  financial  assistance  is  provided  to  scouting  and  guiding organisations  for  various  programmes  such  as  organization  of training camps, skill development programmes, holding of jamborees,  etc.  The  activities,  inter  alia,  include  programmes related  to  adult  literacy,  environment  conservation,  community service, health awareness and promotion of hygiene and sanitation. Currently, assistance is being released to two organisations,  namely,  (i)  Bharat  Scouts  and  Guides  and  (ii)

Hindustan  Scouts  and  Guides,  for  carrying  on  various  scouting and guiding activities.

## (g) National Discipline Scheme (NDS):

The  Central  Government  had  committed  to  reimburse  liabilities incurred  towards  pay  &  allowances  of  NDS  (National  Discipline Scheme) Instructors, when the services of such instructors were transferred to the States. A budget provision of Rs.2 crores per annum  (under  Non-Plan)  is  being  made  for  settlement  of  these liabilities.

## (h)

## National Young Leaders Programme (NYLP):

NYLP is a new Scheme introduced during 2014-15. The Objective of the Scheme is to develop leadership qualities among the youth to enable them to realise their full potential and in the process, to  contribute  to  the  nation-building  process.    The  Programme aims  at  motivating  the  youth  to  strive  for  excellence  in  their respective  fields  and  to  bring  them  to  the  forefront  of  the development  process.  It  seeks  to  harness  the  immense  youth energy for national-building. The Programme has 5 components, as outlined below:

-  Neighbourhood  Youth Parliament (NYP): The  objective of Neighbourhood Youth Parliament is to provide a platform to the youth to articulate their views on various socio-economic development issues of concern to them. Youth clubs under NYKS are being enabled to function as 'neighbourhood youth parliament'.  The  implementing  strategy  followed  is  that  the Presidents/  Secretaries  of  the  Youth  Clubs  first  participate  in Capacity  Building  programmes  in  the  form  of  Block  Youth Parliaments and thereafter, they are required to organise 'neighbourhood youth parliament' programmes  in respective villages.  In  these  programmes,  youth  discuss/  debate  issues  of concern and formulate their recommendations, which are presented to local officials/ local bodies, for their consideration. The  Programme  is  helping  in  developing  leadership  qualities among the youth and in actively involving them in the governance process.
-  Youth for Development Programme (YFDP):  The Programme aims at  channelising  the  immense  youth  energy  towards  the  nationbuilding,  by  involving  youth  in Shramadaan (voluntary  labour). The  Programme  is  being  implemented  through  NYKS.  Other organisations like NSS, NCC and Eco Clubs are also sought to be involved in the programme. Each youth volunteer is expected to put in 100 hours of Shramadaan every year.
-  National  Young  Leaders  Awards  (NYLA):    The  youth  are  doing pioneering  work  in  all  the  sectors.  The  Programme  aims  at motivating the youth to strive for excellence in their respective fields  by  recognising  and  rewarding  the  outstanding  work  done by  them.  It  is  proposed  to  confer  2  awards  (one  male  and  one female) in about 50 identified domains/ sectors.
-  National  Youth  Advisory  Council  (NYAC):    The  Council  is  being set up to seek active involvement of the young leaders as well as other stakeholders in the decision-making process on the youth related issues. NYAC shall advise the Ministries/ Departments on youth related initiatives/ issues.  The Council will give effective representation  to  young  leaders  from  all  States/  UTs  in  the governance process.
-  National  Youth  Development  Fund  (NYDF):    The  objective  of NYDF is to mobilise funds from non-budgetary resources also for youth development, in order to enable the Department to fill the gaps  in  the  ongoing  programmes  as  also  take  up  innovative programmes for youth development to create young leaders.

## 2.

## National Service Scheme (NSS)

## Introduction:

National Service Scheme (NSS) was introduced in 1969 with the primary objective of developing the personality and character of the student youth through voluntary community service. 'Education  through  Service'  is  the  purpose  of  the  NSS.  The ideological  orientation  of  the  NSS  is  inspired  by  the  ideals  of Mahatma Gandhi. Very appropriately, the motto of NSS is 'NOT

ME, BUT YOU'. An NSS volunteer places the 'community' before 'self'.

## Objectives:

NSS  aims  at  developing  the  following  qualities/  competencies among the volunteers:

-  To  understand  the  community  in  which  the  NSS  volunteers work  and  to understand themselves  in relation to their community;
-  To  identify  the  needs  and  problems  of  the  community  and involve themselves in problem-solving exercise;
-  To  develop  among  themselves  a  sense  of  social  and  civic responsibility;
-  To  utilize  their  knowledge  in  finding  practical  solutions  to individual and community problems;
-  To gain skills in mobilizing community participation;
-  To acquire leadership qualities and democratic values;
-  To develop capacity to meet emergencies and natural disasters; and
-  To practice national integration and social harmony.

NSS attempts to establish meaningful linkages between 'Campus and Community',  'College and Village'  and  'Knowledge  and Action'.

NSS  was  launched  in  1969  in  37  Universities  involving  about 40,000 volunteers. As on 31.03.2015, NSS had about 36.42 lakh volunteers  on  its  rolls  spread  over  351  Universities,  16,056 Colleges/  Technical  Institutions  and  12,004  Senior  Secondary Schools. Since inception, over 4.60 crore students have benefited from NSS.

## Nature of Activities:

The  activities  being  undertaken  under  NSS  can  be  broadly classified in two categories, as follows:

Core  Activities:  The  activities  under  NSS  continue  to  evolve  in response to the needs of the community. An illustrative list of some of the activities undertaken under NSS is as follows:

-  Education:  adult literacy,  preschool  education,  continuing education of school drop-outs, programmes on eradication of social evils, etc.
-  Health,  Family  Welfare  and  Nutrition:  immunisation,  blood donation, health education, AIDS awareness, etc.
-  Environment Conservation: plantation of trees and their preservation/  upkeep,  cleaning  and  maintenance  of  streets, drains etc.,
-  Social Service Programmes: Work in hospitals, institutions for disabled persons, orphanages, old-age homes, women welfare institutions, etc.
-  Programmes  for improving Status of Women:  awareness generation  regarding  women's  rights,  imparting  skill  training to women, etc.
-  Production-oriented Programmes: educating people about improved  agricultural  practices,  guidance  in  animal  resource development, etc.
-  Disaster Relief and Rehabilitation: working with local authorities in rescue and relief operations.

Other Activities/ Programmes under NSS: In addition to the Core activities,  various  other  activities  are  taken  up  under  NSS.  For instance,

-  Participation in Republic Day Parade Camp. .
-  Participation in Adventure Activities.
-  Organisation of NSS Mega Camps and North East NSS Youth Festivals.
-  Organisation of 'Suvichar' and 'Youth Convention' events during the National Youth Festival.
-  Self-Defence Training for NSS Volunteers.
-  Indira Gandhi NSS Awards.

## 3 Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD)

## Introduction:

Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD), Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, is an 'Institute of National Importance'  under  the  Ministry  of  Youth  Affairs  and  Sports, Government  of  India,  by  virtue  of  enactment  of  RGNIYD  Act, 2012.  The  RGNIYD  was  set  up  in  1993  as  a  Society  under  the Societies Registration Act, 1975 and was conferred the status of 'Deemed to be University'  under  'De-novo'  category  in  2008,  by the Ministry of Human Resources Development.

RGNIYD  functions  as  a  vital  resource  centre  with  its  multifaceted  functions  of  offering  academic  programmes  at  Post Graduate level encompassing various dimensions of youth development, engaging in seminal research in the vital areas of youth  development  and  conducting  Training/  Capacity  Building Programmes  in  the  area  of  youth  development,  besides  the extension and outreach initiatives across the country.

The  Institute  functions  as  a  think-tank  of  the  Ministry  and premier organization of youth related activities in the country. As the  apex  institute at the national level, it  works  in  close cooperation with the NSS, NYKS and other youth organizations in the  country.  It  has  a  wide  network  with  various  organizations working  for  the  welfare  and  development  of  young  people  and also serves as a mentor.

The  Vision  of  RGNIYD  is  to  be  a  globally  recognized  and acclaimed  centre  of  academic  excellence  in  the  field  of  youth development.

## Nature of Activities:

Academic Programmes: RGNIYD currently offers 5 post-graduate programmes, namely, (i) M.Sc. in Counselling Psychology, (ii) M.A. in  Social  Innovation  and  Entrepreneurship,  (iii)  M.  A.  in  Gender Studies, (iv) M.A. in Local Governance and Development, and (v) M.A.  in  Development  Policy  and  Practice.  The  annual  intake capacity  of  these  courses  is  120  students.    In  addition,  the Institute  has  started  offering  some  additional  degree/  diploma courses, namely, (i) B.Voc. (Apparel Manufacturing and Entrepreneurship),  (ii)  B.Voc.  (Fashion  Design  and  Retail),  (iii) Post Graduate Diploma in Youth Development and (iv) Diploma in Community Mental Health.

Training/ Capacity Building: RGNIYD conducts a large number of training/  capacity  building  programmes  (including  training  of trainers)  catering  to  the  need  of  youth  across  the  country  on various themes, viz., youth employability skills, social entrepreneurship, gender equity, life skills, disaster preparedness and risk reduction, entrepreneurship and livelihood issues, youth leadership and personality development, youth as ambassadors  of  peace,  social harmony  and  national unity, women leadership and participation, capacity building of women managers in higher education, etc. A new Department of Tribal and North East Youth Development has been set up to focus on development of tribal youth and North East youth.

Research Programmes: RGNIYD offers interdisciplinary doctoral programmes on youth studies.

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