Assam's youth power

Today's youth has a 'Can Do' spirit which is a source of inspiration for every generation. This remark has come from none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who, while virtually inaugurating the 25th National Youth Festival in Puducherry on Wednesday, also said that India's youth has great potential which has been displayed from time to time. The Prime Minister also pointed out that the youth of India, during the struggle for freedom, did not hesitate even for a moment to sacrifice everything for the sake of the country. Today's youth, he said, has to live for the country and fulfil the dreams of the freedom fighters to make India self-reliant on all fronts and establish the country as a global leader in all respects. Today's youth's ability is not burdened by old stereotypes, the Prime Minister said, emphasizing that today's youth knows how to shake them off. This is one reason why today's youth can evolve itself and society according to the new challenges and new demands. On Wednesday, as the country marked National Youth Day to mark the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, the Assam government also took a very crucial decision of setting up a State Youth Commission. The state cabinet's decision to set up the State Youth Commission has been supplemented by the reasons, these being – to protect the interests of the youth of Assam both outside and within the state, and to provide them employment, skills training, training for competitive examinations, and providing them with a platform to register their grievances. It is a fact that the youth of Assam has played a crucial role in shaping the destiny of the state, as also during the various crises. To give just one example, had it not been for the youth of Assam, the issue of infiltration from Bangladesh or erstwhile East Pakistan – which the Supreme Court of India had described as "a silent external aggression" – would have never been highlighted as it was done. Unfortunately, due to the lack of a state policy for the youth, a large number of young people had gone astray since the late 1980s, being misguided by some bad elements to take up arms and wage a so-called war against the country. The outcome was that several thousand able-bodied and courageous youth of the state lost their lives or became crippled for life in the hands of security forces or internecine clashes. Assam has the highest number of youth and students organizations among all states of the country. But then, the majority of these are rudderless and short of ideology, not to speak of a clear-cut objective. This has led several youths into the path of easy money by indulging in extortion in the name of forcible collection of donations, among various other related social evils. What the government has in mind for the proposed State Youth Commission is not immediately known. But then, even before it is constituted, the right-thinking people of the state can probably put up certain suggestions to the government. There is no second opinion that one of the primary objectives of the State Youth Commission should be to instil in youth a clear sense of national identity and respect for national principles and values. For this, the Commission can take up as an objective the task of generating awareness and understanding of the historical and cultural heritage of India in general and Assam and the Northeast in particular among the youth. There is also a need to promote an awareness of the content of the Constitution of India amongst young men and women, along with a knowledge of their rights and responsibilities. Simultaneously, the Commission can also advocate for the creation, in youth, of a sense of belonging, patriotism and responsible citizenship. It will also probably be appropriate that the Commission design and implement programmes and services that promote opportunities for voluntarism amongst young men and women whilst promoting the development of practical leadership and life skills. Alongside it should also take up programmes to encourage young women and men to promote national unity by upholding the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, solidarity and tolerance. Other areas that can constitute the objectives of the State Youth Commission are - providing opportunities for sustainable livelihoods and decent work for all young men and women; assisting youth in attaining knowledge, skills and experiences required to enable them to effectively participate in the development of the nation and society; empowering previously marginalized sections such as young women and girls, youth with disabilities, out of school youth and youth living in rural areas; involving the youth at the planning, decision making, implementation and evaluation levels of all youth development programmes; promoting gender equality and equity among the youth, in particular, in education and training, socio-cultural, political, economic and legal spheres.