NATIONAL YOUTH DAY

'Useless' or 'used less'

Ranjan K Baruah

(The author is a recipient of the National Youth Award in 2014 for his contribution to the society from Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and can be reached at bkranjan@gmail.com for any feedback)

One of the common matters in our society is youth issues. The issues may be positive like young people engaging in constructive things or negative things like using drugs or creating disturbances. With these, we can realize and feel the importance of young people. The definition of youth may vary from country to country. According to the National Youth Policy of India (NYP), young people between 15 and 29 are termed youth.

If we look at the young people in between 15 and 29 years then we shall find that more than half are students or recent graduates. There are young people in this age group who start working or become entrepreneurs. In our lifetime this age is the most productive as many things can be done. If the force is used properly then we can find social change and if youths are negatively mentored then we shall see more destructive activities.

Being associated with youth development activities, I have seen that more people blame young people but the fact is that young people are a storehouse of energy and what we need is mentoring them at the right time. The vision of NYP is to empower youth to achieve their full potential, and through them enable India to find its rightful place in the community of nations. For achieving this vision, the policy identifies five well-defined objectives and 11 priority areas and suggests policy interventions in each priority area. The priority areas are education, skill development and employment, entrepreneurship, health and healthy lifestyle, sports, promotion of social values, community engagement, participation in politics and governance, youth engagement, inclusion and social justice.

According to the last census which was carried out in 2011 India has 27.5 per cent of the population between 15 and 29 years. There is no doubt that India is one of the youngest nations in the world and is expected to have a very favourable demographic profile in the near future which is a great opportunity as well as a challenge. It was a decision of the Government of India taken in 1984 to celebrate the birthday of Swami Vivekananda as National Youth Day every year which is on 12th January. The Government of India quoted that 'the philosophy of Swamiji and the ideals for which he lived and worked could be a great source of inspiration for the Indian Youth Day'.

This year, the Prime Minister will be addressing and inaugurating the five-day National Youth Festival (NYF) on January 12, 2022, which is being held at Puducherry. NYF is being held at Puducherry to celebrate the 159th birth anniversary of spiritual leader Swami Vivekananda. The festival aims to ignite, unit, motivate and activate the youth of India towards nation-building. The festival will be attended by youth representing each and every district of the country. By holding an immersive experience through the festival, the main objective is to unleash the true potential of our demographic dividend.

National Youth Summit which is part of the NYF will also provide a platform for Idea exchange with homegrown and global icons and experts to disseminate knowledge and shape intellect. The festival also wishes to fuel the minds of millennials and build a post-COVID template for the world that is led by the youth by crafting an Authentic Indian Leadership strategy.

The main challenge for us is whether youths are 'useless or used less. Sometimes we may hear that youths are useless but that's not correct as youths need to get more opportunities so that they get engagement. Youths have been 'used less' for which we are yet to see more innovation and positive changes. The day is an opportunity to look at the energy of youths and how youths can transform society for sustainable development. The pandemic has already brought many challenges in front of the youths. It is the time to look at the best possible opportunity and engage ourselves and prove that all young people are capable of bringing positive changes.

Proper mentoring and guidance is needed to engage youths in positive activities. There are government departments and other agencies which are working for the development of the youth. We must ensure that all youth irrespective of caste or creed or geographical location should get the opportunity to excel. At the same time, the digital divide must not affect youths negatively. Together we can do wonders and I appeal to all youth to take up the challenge to bring a positive transformation in society and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and make a better for ourselves and for the future generation.