Content:

1. Initiatives for New India
2. Nurturing Excellence of Our Yuva Shakti
3. FIT India: Towards a Healthy Future
4. Youth and Health
5. Enablers for Employment
6. Youth for Environment Sustainability
7. World of Football
8. Shaping Digital Economy
9. Youth Icons of India (Technology, Spacetech & Sports)
10. Leading India towards Techade
11. Additional Information
    1. Launch of ‘Stay Safe Online’ Campaign and ‘G20 Digital Innovation Alliance’
    2. Initiatives of Nehru Yuva Kendras

INTRODUCTION

• India has one of the youngest populations in the world, as 27.2% of the country’s population belongs to the age group of 15-29 years.
• A demographic dividend of this magnitude has the capability to uplift the nation and raise living standards for all.

• The role of youth in nation-building is crucial in the 21st century with India playing a very important role with the whole world watching us.
• The youth of the nation will be a critical asset for the development; key for social & societal change; and driving force for economic development and technological innovation.
• To capitalise on this demographic dividend, the Indian government is undertaking the following key initiatives:

SWACHH BHARAT ABHIYAN

• Today, the youth of our nation are the biggest ambassadors and advocates of the flagship Swachh Bharat Mission.
• As part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahatosav, Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) under the guidance of Department of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MoYAS) organised various activities of “Swachh Bharat 2.0” programme from 1 October to 31 October 2022.
• People, particularly the youth, not only participated in the programme but played a pivotal role in motivating and encouraging others to join the programme purely on a voluntary basis.

YOUTH VOLUNTEERS

• The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has had a large focus to engage youth volunteers for the twin objective of personality building and nation building.
• While India is celebrating its 75 years of independence, we must pledge and commit to what we are aspiring to achieve and contribute during the nation’s Amrit Kaal, i.e., from now to  India@100.
• The youth has a pivotal responsibility to build the present and future of this country.
• The Ministry has launched a Capacity Building Training Programme for 14,000 Youth Volunteers of NYKS to enhance their life skills. These trained youth volunteers will play pivotal role in realising the Panch Pran (five resolve).
• Youth Volunteers played a significant role by successfully reaching out to 3.70 crore households and motivating around 9.38 crore citizens of India to hoist Tiranga on their homes; which resulted in over 2 crore households voluntarily hoisting Tiranga in their houses during 13-15 August 2022.

FIT INDIA

• The Central Government is sparing no effort to bring in revolutionary development in the fields of sports, education, skill development and regional language education by bringing a new National Education Policy.
• Today, universities and educational institutions are upgrading their sports infrastructure, thereby enabling the youth to actively participate in the FIT India movement to lead a fit and healthy lifestyle on the lines of the inspirational slogan ‘Fitness Ka Dose, Aadha Ghanta Roz’.
• As part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahatosav, Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) under the guidance of celebrated World Bicycle Day on 3 June 2022 which was launched at the national level.
• The Inaugural edition of the FIT India Freedom Run was organised to celebrate our 74 th Independence Day from 14 August to 2 October 2020 (151 st Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi).
  • This virtual run, where people could run at a place and pace of their choice, witnessed over 7 crore people participating.

SPORTS, EDUCATION AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

• Sport is a great unifier and equaliser. It is a key driver for societal harmonisation irrespective of various differentiating factors including culture, language, colour and geographic boundaries.
• There has been a tremendous shift in the public perception towards sports with the Government’s persistent efforts and impetus given to sports ecosystem that got reflected in the nation’s impressive performance in the recent editions of the Olympics, Paralympics and the Commonwealth Games.
• Identifying sporting talent at a young age is advantageous since children best suited for a particular sport can be trained from an early age.
  • To this end, more than 23 lakh school going children in the age group of 5-18 years have been assessed using the Khelo India Mobile App.
  • More than 82,000 physical education teachers have been trained to assess the sporting prowess of children.
• One of the key pillars of the Khelo India Scheme is to make quality sports infrastructure equitably accessible to the citizens. To ensure the same, MoYAS has sanctioned 294 sports infrastructure projects across the country, amounting to close to Rs 2,500 crore.
• Various initiative have been taken under the Khelo India scheme including establishment of district level Khelo India Centres, Khelo India State Centres of Excellence, organising annual Khelo India Games (Youth Games, University Games, Winter Games, etc.), community coaching development programmes (e-Khelpathshala), promotion of women's participation in sports through women sporting leagues in various sporting disciplines, large-scale sports & fitness promotion events through the FIT India programme.
• In addition to the above, the scheme has a robust early- stage talent identification and development mechanism through which talented sportspersons in various sports disciplines are identified and supported through out of pocket allowance and training support through Khelo India Accredited Academies.
  • These budding athletes are being groomed to be our Olympic Medallists of tomorrow.
• In order to constructively channelise the energy of the youth in extremism and terrorism infested areas of the country, sports competitions and programmes are organised in such landmasses across the country engaging the youth.
• To ensure inclusivity in the nation’s sports development programme, persons with disabilities are supported through the Khelo India scheme in addition to promoting rural and indigenous games to re-energise the nation’s centuries long culture and heritage.
• The NEP 2020 envisages the holistic development of India’s youth.
  • To achieve the same, special emphasis is given for skill development to effectively attain AatmaNirbhar Bharat.
  • Even the students of middle level shall be exposed to hands-on training in vocational skills like carpentry, plumbing, electrical repairing, horticulture, pottery, embroidery amongst other skills.
• Integration of sport in curriculum as in NEP, is a cross-curricular pedagogical approach to leverage sports and physical activities for skill development including collaboration, teamwork, discipline, etc.
• The key objective of sports-integrated learning is to enable students to integrate fitness to their lifestyle and to promote physical and psychological well-being and to gain the related life skills along with the levels of fitness as envisaged in the FIT India movement.
• Amongst the various ways to enhance India’s sporting success to multifold, states can be encouraged towards a “One State, One Sport” outlook where they are encouraged to prioritise one game (while not ignoring others) based on the available talent pool, natural interest, available infrastructure, etc.
  • This will bring a focused approach and also allow for optimum utilisation of existing resources in the state.
• Another major driver for nation’s sporting excellence is to embed an active sporting culture. To achieve the same, it is important to organise games at local, district, state and national levels.

CONCLUSION

• The youth of India, while being the “Future of India”, is more importantly “India’s Present”.
• They are the drivers of ideas and innovation in this age of AI- “AatmaNirbhar Innovation”.
• A youthful mind, body and soul is the key driver of a healthy and fit India. They have a crucial role to play in nation building.
• With India taking over the prestigious presidency of G20 nations this year, it is an opportune moment for our youth to showcase their skills, talents, art, and exhibit their commitment and conviction towards the greater good of the nation.

INTRODUCTION

• The years 2020–2050 dubbed as the ‘golden period’ of the Indian economy constitute youth as a key demographic, and with the right policy measures they have the potential to usher in positive change to transform India into an economy with diversified and sustainable high economic growth.
• The country is getting its foothold in the global market and is not only fiercely competing with many developed economies, on sheer force of innovation, incubation and youthfulness, but is also being recognised for its remarkable contributions across major economies by our vibrant diaspora.
• With an annual 1.2 crore new entries to the workforce, the Government’s role has become more crucial in not only creating opportunities for everyone but also in building a strong ecosystem of
  • education;
  • skills;
  • entrepreneurship;
  • improving public services;
  • infrastructure;
  • integrating digital tech;
  • labour protection; and
  • most importantly, creating a sustainable market system which is aligned with economic growth and stability of the country.

ERA OF THE ‘TECHADE’

• Startups:
  • India is the 3 rd largest startup ecosystem with one in every 10 global unicorns claimed by India.
  • There are over 77,000 government recognised startups spread across 656 districts of India with diversity in 56 industrial sectors like IT services, healthcare, life science, education, professional service, agriculture, food & beverage, etc.
  • These policies and successes are based on India’s rise to the competitive global standards and creating an ‘enabling environment’ locally for the youth of the country. For example, the access to market, a huge barrier for startups, has been easily addressed by the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) platform.
  • Another such significant factor for developing sustainable startup ecosystem is availability of data, services, marketing streams, outreach and reduced burden of excessive cost of doing business and compliances.
  • Digital India is a mission to connect India to its most remote location by not limiting the potential to partake and contribute in the market by way of physical distance.
  • The IoT revolution combined with IT and computer science- based professionals in India has favoured a smooth transition of Indian markets into modern, vibrant and cutting-edge at global level and has significantly reduced the risk factors for new startups.
• From almost 4,000 globally filed patents by India in 2014 to more than 15,000 in 2022, India has maxed out the innovation charts with scale and speed.
  • India’s rapidly advancing stand on ‘Global Innovation Index’ is a witness to this transformation from 81 st spot in 2015 to 40 th spot in 2022.

JOB CREATORS

• The longstanding concern of any developing nation is maintaining a balance between job creators and job seekers, especially in a culturally and linguistically diverse country like India with over 90 per cent people working in the unorganised sector.
• To map the actual growth on both accounts besides the GDP and per capita income, there is Employee Provident Fund Organisation data which shows new subscription of over 3 crore formal jobs since 2017.
• The codification of labour laws integrated quantifiable parameters to map job growth in informal sector more accurately.
• To prioritise skill development and employability of youth, the Government has launched various
  schemes such as Skill India Mission, MUDRA scheme, Digital India, and PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana to lay a strong foundation of knowledge, proficiency and market-centric skills for upcoming workforce.
• Furthermore, the raw talent of Indian youth is being shaped by world class academic organisations like National Skill Training Institutes, Indian Institute of Skills, multiple IITs, IIMs and ITIs being developed across the country.
• Improvement in the quality of life and enhancing ease of living – twin goals of the Government have an implicit effect on the lives and potential for youth of India.
• With a boost to metro, railways and road connectivity, livelihood opportunities have been generated across the board under various employment schemes.

ACCESS TO HOLISTIC EDUCATION

• India has been a global centre of knowledge from ancient times, and there is an implicit understanding in the society that an effective education system is essential to fulfil the aspirations of youth.
• To achieve this aspiration, the Government ushered in the modern era of education reforms that aim to transform the education sector.
• The most significant among them was the introduction of the new National Education Policy (NEP) that is changing India’s education system. It focuses on new age skills and provides room for students to learn at their own pace.
• The policy’s implementation seeks to make India’s youth solution-oriented, agile and mentally equipped to handle real-life situations, and operate in challenging environments.
• Reforms in the medical education system:
  • In 2014, there were 387 medical colleges in the country. This number has increased to more than 600 medical colleges in 2022, showing a rise of over 50 per cent.
  • The Government has also tripled the number of operational or established All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
  • Also, the National Medical Commission Act took effect on 8 August 2019, bringing in a new National Medical Commission (NMC) aimed at serving as the country’s top medical education regulator.
• The footprint of education has been expanded to ensure that ‘no one is left behind’:
  • Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) have been set up in tribal areas for talented Scheduled Tribe children to have high quality education.
  • Almost one IIT and IIM have been added every year and the total number of universities has risen from 723 to 1,043 as of October 2022.
  • Similarly, number of Navodaya Vidyalaya have also increased.

EASE OF LIVING – A NEW REALITY

• Modern infrastructure and seamless services have a positive impact on enhancing quality of life.
• It has boosted academical, vocational and entrepreneurial integration of new generations even in the remotest parts of India.
• The Government has taken visible and tangible actions on ground, positively impacting the lives of crores of the youth by adapting the mantra of ‘ease of living’ at the core of every developmental programme.
  • Under Swachh Bharat Mission launched in 2014, more than 11 crore household toilets have been built.
  • under Ujjwala Yojana, provision of cooking gas to make the home smoke-free, has been given to over 10 crore families.
  • Deendayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana and SAUBHAGYA scheme ensured that over 99 per cent of Indian households today have electricity.
  • Jal Jeevan Mission was launched tap water connections. Under Jal Jeevan Mission, concerted efforts have been initiated to skill our youth especially in rural areas so that they can work as mason, plumber, electrician, pump operator, motor mechanic, etc.
  • Through PM Awas Yojana, over 3 crore houses have been constructed.
  • Connectivity has been ensured with schemes like UDAN.
  • The FIT India movement was launched in August 2019 to reinvigorate the mindset of youth to keep themselves fit.

CONCLUSION

• Swami Vivekananda had aptly said, ‘Give me hundred energetic youngsters and I shall transform India’.
• Today, India’s youth are coming up with innovative, cost-effective solutions in areas of waste management, healthcare, communication, renewable energy, food processing, artificial intelligence and what not.
• In 2047, when India will be celebrating 100 years of its independence, contribution of today’s youth will be the key factor in making India become not only the 3rd largest economy but truly a developed nation.
• To achieve this goal, the Government has taken a number of initiatives to not only equip our youth with education, skills, and good health but also impart the right value system i.e., fraternity–well-being of everyone.
• As India strives to change its destiny, the focus must be continued on furthering ways and means to tap the energy and ambitions of our youth.

INTRODUCTION

• Since sports foster holistic development by improving physical and psychological well-being while also enhancing cognitive capacities, the necessity to incorporate sports in education has been widely acknowledged.
• A holistic education integrates physical education and sports with the educational curriculum (Sustainable Development Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning).
• Students learn the fundamental principles of sports, such as teamwork, fair play, respect for the rules and for others, cooperation, discipline, and tolerance, through participating in sports and physical activities outside of the classroom.
• The significance of sports-integrated education in building social peace, increasing productivity, and developing human capital is highlighted in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
• NEP 2020 also emphasises about sports-integration in pedagogical approaches that utilise physical activities including indigenous sport.

LAUNCHING FIT INDIA

• The launch of FIT India movement on 29 August 2019 with a goal to make fitness an integral part of our daily lives, has been a symbol of paradigm shift in our approach towards sports.
• The vision is to bring about behavioural changes and move towards a more physically active lifestyle. The goals and objectives of this are:
  • To promote fitness as an easy, fun, and free activity.
  • To spread awareness on fitness and various physical activities that promote fitness through focused campaigns.
  • To encourage indigenous sports.
  • To make fitness reach every school, college/university, panchayat/village, etc.
  • To create a platform for citizens of India to share information, drive awareness, and encourage sharing of personal fitness stories.
• This movement attempted to put the nation on a path towards wellness and fitness.

Several new and innovative initiatives undertaken to strengthen the impact and spread awareness of FIT India as a movement are given below:

• Samagra Shiksha Scheme:
  • The Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha has been aligned with the policy.
  • Under the scheme, sports grant on an annual basis has been provided to all government schools.
  • Sports are now considered an integral part of education rather than an extracurricular activity.
• FIT India School Movement:
  • The FIT India Mission encourages schools to organise a FIT India School Week in month of November/December.
  • It has also prepared a set of FIT India School Certification with simple and easy parameters.
• FIT India School Week was launched in 2019.
• The FIT India Quiz was introduced in 2021 as a celebration of “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav,” with the goal of strengthening its presence in schools and spreading the FIT India message to school children.
• The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports announced the commencement of FIT INDIA FREEDOM RUN 3.0.
• To raise awareness, MoYAS created the “FIT India Mobile App,” which has been downloaded by 5 lakh users as of this writing.
• The ambitious FIFA-UNESCO programme, Football for Schools (F4S) aims to help 700 million students around the world with their education, development, and empowerment.
  • The F4S Programme seeks to achieve the following four key outcomes:
    • Empower learners (boys and girls) with valuable life skills and competencies.
    • Empower and provide coach-educators with the training to deliver sport and life-skills activities.
    • Build the capacity of stakeholders (schools, member associations- MAs and public authorities) to deliver training in life skills through football.
    • Strengthen the cooperation between governments, MAs and participating schools to enable partnerships, alliances and intersectoral collaboration.
  • An MoU was signed by the All India Football Federation, the Ministry of Education, and FIFA in order to implement the Football for Schools programme, which seeks to reach 25 million students in India.

CONCLUSION

• The sporting landscape in India has changed enormously in recent years. Today, sport is an important component of socio-economic development of a country. India is a storehouse of talent, especially in the field of sports.
• The Government has been playing a crucial role in promoting sports and fitness in the country. A holistic approach of the Government towards sports and emphasis on fitness is going to change the way India takes its sports and games.

INTRODUCTION

• Youth – though definitions vary – are considered those individuals in the age group of 15 to 44 years. Therefore, this age group includes late adolescence (15 to 19 years) and early adulthood (20 to 44 years).
• The youth are amongst the healthiest of population sub-groups. This age group has least burden of illnesses and mortality.
• Although, there are a few concerns which are more common in this age group such as road traffic injuries.
• In addition, the health behaviour adopted in this age group determines the health situation in the later life.
• Youth face a lot of health issues because of their physiological state, behaviours, diet, work and other factors, many of which are related to their behavioural habits.

Some of the health issues are:

• Mental Health:
  • Clinical depression has been one of the leading causes of illness and disability among young adults and adolescents, followed by suicide.
  • The reasons include poor scholastic or workplace performance, violence, poverty and unemployment, stigma, marginalisation and discrimination, humanitarian crises and the COVID-19 situation.
• Alcohol and Drug Use:
  • Alcohol and drug use, especially intravenous drug use is largely associated with various high risk behaviours that can cause communicable and non-communicable diseases like HIV/AIDS, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and liver diseases, etc.
• Tobacco Use:
  • Tobacco can cause cancer of oral cavity, throat, oesophagus and lungs and many other health issues.
  • In addition, tobacco consumption increases the risk of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, heart diseases, stroke, vascular diseases and so on.
• Physical Inactivity:
  • It has been estimated that only 20 per cent of the young adults are known to exercise adequately or be involved in sports activities which are for longer than 30 minutes per day and five days a week.
  • Inactivity is high especially among females owing to various factors.
  • Less physical activity causes increase in risk factors and diseases including obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, heart diseases and other chronic diseases.
• Diabetes and Hypertension:
  • Diabetes is becoming potentially epidemic, with one in every 10 adult having diabetes. One in every five adults in India have hypertension.
• Other Health Problems:
  • These include injuries in the form of accidents, self- harm, workplace accidents and so on.
  • The violence in the form of interpersonal violence, domestic violence, workplace violence,
    bullying/ragging, sexual violence and so on can take place.

IMPROVING HEALTH

• There are three secrets of healthy life: balanced diet, regular physical activity and sufficient sleep.
• The youth often lack on one or more of these aspects.
• Though there has been a series of Government initiatives – from both health sector as well as other sectors, however, those are yet to catch the full attention of youth.
• The Ayushman Bharat programme with health and wellness centre component has focus on nirogi- or preventing illness by adoption of healthier lifestyle.

Government Initiatives which aim at Healthier Youth

MAKING HEALTH OF YOUTH A MASS MOVEMENT

• This requires optimal utilisation of every possible avenue for improving health of this age group.
• It requires interventions at schools, colleges and workplaces amongst other.
• It demands that the school health services are strengthened and work as early intervention centres for dealing with the rising incidence of various disease in the current days.
• The workplace health has to be promoted by installing weighing scales in bathroom, exercise time and equipment in large offices as well as encouraging healthy food in cafeteria menu.
• There is a need for improving health seeking behaviour of youth who often resort to self-remedies.
• There is a need for improving family and community participation in improving health of youth in India.

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

• Mental Health and Youth:
  • There is a lot of stigma associated with mental health issues. This is a reason people do not seek health care. However, mental illnesses are very similar to any physical illness.
  • It is time to start talking about mental health issue and destigmatise it.
• Physical Activity:
  • Regular physical activity is a zero-cost effort, which one can do for good health.
  • India has been ranked 8 th among countries with the lowest physical activity globally. Reports have shown that 3 out of 4 adolescents and young people are not physically active enough as per the given recommendations.
  • A study showed that barriers to low physical activity are personal attributes, perceived negative consequences, sociocultural environment, lack of time and so on.
• Sleep:
  • Regular and at least six to eight hours of sleep boosts our immunity, reduces stress and keeps us away from many health issues.

SPORTS, HEALTH AND YOUTH

• It has been established that physical activity through various sports can boost confidence, increase social life, lead to psychosocial and personal development and help in prevention of substance abuse.

CONCLUSION

• Youth constitute around half of India’s population and are the foundation of country’s economic growth and development.
• Though, otherwise healthy population, the youth face a host of problems due to their age, behaviour and other factors which can have long-term effect during old age.
• Prevention of ill health effects in youth can have long-term benefits individually, at family level and at national level.
• The policies aimed at youth should be targeted at healthier lifestyle, adoption of regular physical activity and health prevention and promotion measures.
• Healthy youth today will make healthy nation tomorrow.

INTRODUCTION

• Youth play a crucial role in nation-building.
• The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (MoYAS) released a Draft National Youth Policy (NYP) in April 2022 with a 10-year vision for youth development, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
  • Education; employment & entrepreneurship; youth leadership & development; health, fitness & sports; and social justice are the five focus areas.
• National Cadet Corps (NCC), National Service Scheme (NSS), and Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) are some organisations working towards this vision.
• Under the purview of MoYAS, the Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD) offers academic, training, and research programmers and serves as a Centre of Excellence for youth development in India.

INITIATIVES TAKEN BY THE GOVERNMENT

• To create a stress-free atmosphere for youngsters, Prime Minister engages with the youngsters through ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’, an interactive session to bring together students, parents teachers, and society.
• To influence people’s behaviours and encourage them to live a physically active lifestyle, the ‘FIT India’ movement was launched in 2019.
• The ‘Swayam Prabha’ initiative by the Government is helping learners in remote areas to get access to quality educational programs 24×7 through a group of 22 DTH channels.
• 25 crore school-going children are being reached through PM e-VIDYA, an initiative to enable multi-mode access to education by unifying all efforts related to digital/online/on-air education.
• To serve as a bridge between edtech businesses, academic institutions, and students, the Ministry of Education set up the National Education Alliance for Technology (NEAT), which is being implemented by the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
• The government introduced the new National Education Policy in 2020 to make India a global education hub.
• To boost career opportunities for youth, the Prime Minister launched a recruitment drive for 10 lakh personnel through the ‘Rozgar Mela’ in a mission mode.
• Along with the Rozgar mela, around 10 lakh apprenticeship opportunities will be available for the youth under the Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Mela (PMNAM), which is being organised nationwide as part of the Skill India Mission by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE)
• Karmayogi Bharat technology platform was launched by the Prime Minister.
  • Karmayogi Bharat is a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) under the administrative control of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) for capacity building of all government employees.
  • It operates the iGOT (Integrated Government Online Training) Karmayogi platform. Karmayogi Prarambh is an online orientation course for all new appointees in various Government departments.
  • It includes a code of conduct for Government servants, workplace ethics & integrity, human resource policies, and other benefits and allowances that will help them to get acclimatised to the policies and transition smoothly into the new roles.
• The ‘Agnipath’ scheme is a transformative reform implemented by the government to recruit 46,000 young people as ‘Agniveers’ for a four-year term.
• To “Cultivate One Million Children in India as Neoteric Innovators,” more than 75 million students are actively participating in almost 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) spread across 722 districts with 5800 plus Mentors of Change.
• The ‘Make in India’ initiative launched in 2014 is helping foster innovation, build world-class infrastructure, and make India a hub for manufacturing and design.
• By boosting Internet access, the Digital India programme started in 2015 has significantly improved the nation’s online infrastructure and is empowering it with technology.
• National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB) – Mission Karmayogi:
  • The Government of India’s Capacity Building Commission (CBC) was set up on 1 April 2021 to “radically improve the Human Resource Management practices in the Government through state-of-the-art infrastructure to augment the capacity of Civil Servants.”

CONCLUSION

• The challenges faced by the youth of India are being addressed by the Government on a mission mode.
• But the Government alone cannot solve all the issues; equal participation of the private and non-profit sectors is of paramount importance.
• India’s G20 presidency in 2023, with the theme of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’’ or “One Earth, One Family, One Future,” will bring together world leaders and contribute to a more peaceful and prosperous future for all.
• Specifically, youth will be able to influence policy-making through national dialogue and discussions at the Y20 summit, which will be held in conjunction with the G20 Summit and focus on themes such as the future of work; climate change and disaster risk reduction; peace building and reconciliation; and youth in democracy.

INTRODUCTION

• We need to pave the way for the development of prosperous, livable cities with smaller carbon footprints.
• Young people have unique needs and obligations when it comes to the environment. They have the power to make the most effective changes to the world.
• Engaging young people in environmental preservation has an impact on their views and behaviours directly, as well as on their families and other acquaintances.
• The low carbon development strategy in the “Panchamrit” effectively articulates the government’s tenacious commitment to sustainable development.
• Priorities include increasing green space, creating more energy-efficient buildings, improving water supplies, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from waste and urban transportation.

YOUTH: TORCH BEARER OF FUTURE GENERATIONS

• Youth-driven climate action initiatives could be a rapid-win situation for augmenting the overall quality of education; on our way to attaining net-zero emissions by 2030 and ensuring the quality of life for future generations on this planet.

ROLES FOR YOUTH AND THE SDGS

• Critical thinkers: Youth can see and confront current power systems, obstacles to change, and inconsistencies and biases.
• Change-makers: Youth can mobilise others and take action. Globally, youth activism is increasing due to improved connectivity and access to social media.
• Innovators: Young people frequently have firsthand knowledge of and insights into topics that are not available to adults, in addition to bringing new viewpoints. Youth can provide fresh perspectives and unique solutions since they are most familiar with the issues they confront.
• Communicators: Young people can collaborate to spread the development agenda among their peers and communities locally as well as internationally.
• Leaders: Young people may influence change in their communities and nations when they are empowered with awareness of their rights and leadership abilities.

POLICY ACTIONS

• Government strategies are required to address youth unemployment directly and to maximise the potential of cities to achieve full and decent employment.
• Urban authorities should be given the freedom to create and implement coherent strategies for long-term employment growth as part of a national urban policy.
• Strengthening the participation of youth in environmental protection is partly a matter of increasing opportunities in governmental organisations, established NGOs, and restoration projects; partly a matter of youth themselves devising new forms of action, as the preceding examples of innovative activism make clear; and partly a question of more effective environmental education and media presentation of environmental issues.
• To increase environmental consciousness, environmental education is crucial.
• During the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26), held in Glasgow last year, the Prime Minister first proposed the concept of LiFE.
  • The idea promotes an environment conscious lifestyle that focuses on ‘mindful and deliberate utilisation’ instead of ‘mindless and wasteful consumption’.
  • The LiFE Movement seeks to encourage people to take little, everyday steps toward a more sustainable future by harnessing the strength of coordinated effort.
  • Furthermore, the LiFE movement tries to impact social norms concerning climate change by leveraging the power of social networks.
  • The mission plans to create and nurture a global network of individuals, namely ‘Pro-Planet People’ (P3), who will have a shared commitment to adopt and promote environment friendly lifestyles.

ADVOCACY, AWARENESS-RAISING, AND CAPACITY-BUILDING

• Youth-led organisations are at the forefront in the planning and delivery of workshops and campaigns to provide youth a perspective on national sustainable development discussions and to guarantee that youth is meaningfully engaged.
• Awareness of and capacity for development activities could be greatly enhanced through increased financial and regulatory support for youth-led structures.

CONCLUSION

• Youth social entrepreneurship thrives best in ecosystems that offer focused technical assistance as well as specialised assistance in fields like education, finance, networking, and market development within an overall business-friendly environment.

INTRODUCTION

• In December 2022, the FIFA World Cup football tournament was concluded in Qatar.
• Football is considered among the mostnpopular sports in the world.
• From the first FIFA World Cup in 1930 to the recent 22nd FIFA World Cup held in Qatar, the mega event has come a long way.
• India is one of the few countries where football started in the 19 th century.

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE WORLD FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION (FÉDÉRATION INTERNATIONALE DE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION)

• FIFA, the world’s governing body of football, was founded on 21 May 1904.
• FIFA in French stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association.
• Its founding countries included Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland. Robert Guerin of France was elected the first President of FIFA, the World Football Association.
• England is called the father of modernfootball, but the interesting fact is that it was not one of the founding countries of FIFA.
• FIFA organised the first World Cup tournament in 1930 to promote and professionalise football worldwide.
• The host Uruguay defeated Argentina 4–2 in the final to become the first World Cup football winner.

OLYMPIC GAMES

• Football was first included in the Olympic Games as a medal event at the 1908 London Olympics, and Uruguay distinguished itself by winning Olympic gold medals in 1924 and 1928.
• In the early years, the trophy of the Football World Cup was named after the famous French football administrator and the third president of FIFA, Jules Rimé.
  • He was not only the president of FIFA for 33 years but also the president of the French Football Federation from 1919 to 1942.
• In 1950, India, Scotland and Turkey decided to pull out of the competition.

QATAR FIFA WORLD CUP

• The previous year’s FIFA World Cup, held in Qatar, proved to be a unique sporting event in more ways than one, where Argentina defeated France in a penalty shoot-out in the final to claim their third world title.
• Traditionally, the FIFA World Cup tournament was held in June–July, but considering the weather in Qatar, especially in the summer, it was decided to hold the tournament later in the year.

FOOTBALL AND INDIA

• Football, one of the world’s most popular sports, has always been one of the top-ranking sports activities in India in terms of popularity. India is one of the few countries where football started in the 19 th century.
• Born on 27 August 1869 in Kolkata, Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhikari is called the father of Indian football.
  • His efforts led to the launch of the country’s first organised football club, the Boy’s Club, in 1877.
  • In 1884, Nagendra founded the Wellington Club in Calcutta, and in 1887 the Sovabazar Club came into existence under his supervision.
  • In 1889, Sovabazar Club also participated in the Trades Cup, considered as the first open football tournament in India.
  • Three years later, in 1892, Sovabazar Club not only won the Trades Cup title by defeating East Surrey Regiment team 2-1 but also became the first team to win the trophy by defeating a British team, in which all the players were Indians.
  • In 1893, Nagendra Sarbadhikari also played an important role in forming the Indian Football Association, i.e., I.F.A.
  • In 1888, the Durand Cup, counted among the world’s third oldest football tournaments started.
• India’s legendary football club Mohun Bagan was established in 1889.
• In 1924, under the leadership of the famous footballer Gostha Pal, the Indian football team played matches in Sri Lanka as the team’s first foreign tour.
• In 1937, the All India Football Association was established in Shimla, under whose supervision efforts are on to advance Indian football even today.
• The Indian team participated in the 1948 London Olympics, and the team’s campaign ended early with a 1–2 defeat to France.
  • It is a different matter that the game of the Indian football team, which was played was barefoot, was praised abroad.
• Two years later, i.e., in 1950, the Indian team was invited to participate in the World Cup held in Brazil, but the team could not reach there for some reasons.
• Meanwhile, to promote professional football in the country, the National Football League was started in 1996, the I-League in 2007, and the Indian Super League, i.e., ISL Football League in 2014.

SPORTS IN THE DRAFT NATIONAL YOUTH POLICY

• The draft National Youth Policy released in 2022 envisages a 10-year youth development vision, which again includes sports on the priority list.
• As a national programme for sports development in the country, a national scheme like ‘Khelo India’ has been launched.

CONCLUSION

• Young footballers of our country also aspire to play in the FIFA World Cup someday. If efforts are made with sincerity, determination, spirit, and skill, then nothing is impossible.

INTRODUCTION

• India is witnessing a magical growth and expansion of various applications of digital technologies, now reinforced by the power of artificial intelligence and cloud.
• A major part of such applications can be attributed to the youth who are not only driving digital consumption but also digital innovation and development.
• They are shaping the future of technology. Though this is a worldwide phenomenon but it’s equally true for India where 65 per cent of the population today consists of those below 35 years of age.

SUCCESS OF THE INDIAN YOUTH

• The ambitions, habits, work patterns, skills, dreams and abilities of the youth are all making a profound impact on the world of technology today.
• A phenomenal number of Internet-age companies are built by ambitious people under the age of 35.
• Even in the western countries, including the USA, Indian youth have reached to the leadership positions in a host of iconic IT companies.
• Given the change in the mindset of the youth, it is not surprising that India currently boasts of 81 unicorn startups with a combined valuation of $274 billion.
• Furthermore, 90 individuals among the founders of 500 US unicorns were born in India.
  • Unicorns are startups with a valuation of one billion US dollars which is roughly Rs 8,000 crore.
  • If India’s startup revolution still does not surprise you, consider the fact that 9-year-old Kaivalya Vohra who founded Zepto is the youngest startup founder with Rs 1,000 crore wealth.
  • Ten years ago, the youngest startup founder with the similar amount of wealth was aged 37.

LEADERS OF CONTENT CREATION

• Content creation is another important area where you can see a large number of young people playing an important role.
• However, it is a growing field and only a small fraction of them, around 1.5 lakh, have been successful in monetising their services effectively.
• The 8 crore creators in India include a diverse group of people such as video streamers, content creators, influencers, creators on OTT platforms, bloggers, and those who create physical products, who are all building communities around their unique niche.
• These are entirely new domains of opportunities which have opened up for the youth during the last few years.

THE GIG JOBS

• Gig workers are independent contractors, online platform workers, contract firm workers, on-call workers, and temporary workers.
• Gig workers enter into formal agreements with on-demand companies to provide services to the company’s clients.
• The sector is growing in leaps and bounds in India and is witnessing a strong participation from the youth.
• The NITI Aayog says that in the year 2020-2021, an estimated 77 lakh (7.7 million) individuals were working in the gig economy.
  • It is predicted that this gig workforce will grow to 2.35 crore (23.5 million) by 2029-2030.
  • Currently, 47 per cent of gig work is classified as medium skilled, 22 per cent as high skilled, and 31 per cent as low skilled.
• Gig jobs are finding increasing acceptance among the youth as they are more open to exploring opportunities of different kinds.
  • Some such jobs include online tutors, graphic designers, web developers, tele callers, field sales workers, digital marketers, business development professionals, SEO experts, brand promoters, video editors and so on.

DEMAND GENERATION AND SCIENCE EDUCATION

• Young population is playing an important role in creation of opportunities, building products and providing services.
• At the same time, it is also driving consumption of digital products and services which is an important factor in India’s success in the field of technology.

CONCLUSION

• The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has identified the 2020s as the decade of technology (the Techade), the country is counting on its youth to make a strong contribution towards the growth of India’s digital economy.
• A tech-aware, tech-skilled and tech- confident young population will ensure the demographic dividend that India is looking for, to secure a place among the top economies of the world.

INTRODUCTION

• In recent time, the world has started viewing the youth as a vital demography and a powerful agent of change and progress.
• They have the power to shape policy, influence markets and reimagine social structures.
• Youth are at the forefront of harnessing the power of technology in all spheres and serve as a critical component in the larger vision of AatmaNirbhar Bharat.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• Google CEO Sundar Pichai was honoured with Padma Bhushan Award 2022 for his contribution in trade and industry.
• Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was also honoured with Padma Bhushan Award 2022 for his contribution in trade and industries.
• Naveen Tiwari founded Glance in 2019. Glance is a consumer internet company that has created highly disruptive digital platforms including Glance and Roposo.
  • Glance is one of Asia’s largest lock screen platforms.
• Nikhil Kamath and Nithin Kamath have built a full-service discount brokerage business (built ‘Zerodha’ with zero external capital.) which, last year, on the revenue of Rs 4,300 crore raked in a net profit of Rs 1,800 crore.
• Ravi Ramu Patel developed a Translator robot that can translate 14 different languages. He did this after winning a district-level competition for an IIOT-based home automation model that syncs smart home appliances with voice commands

SPACETECH

• On 23 June 2017, India broke a global space record by launching the world’s lightest satellite weighing a mere 64 grams, called ‘KalamSat’, designed and developed not by professional space scientists and engineers, but by a 18-year-old Tamil Nadu student, Rifath Sharook, and his team.
• On 1 July 2022, 17-year-old Snehadeep Kumar was awarded the Kentucky Colonel, by the United States Government, courtesy of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
  • He is one of the few Indians to receive the honour, which has been given to icons like Muhammed Ali, Bob Dylan, Ansel Adams, George Clooney and George HW Bush.
• The 26-year-old entrepreneur, Nikhitha C, has co- founded the hugely popular Society for Space Education Research and Development (SSERD) – an NGO and the startup, GenexSpace with the vision to train students in the field of space education and outreach in India and abroad.

SPORTS

• At Commonwealth Games 2022, India finished fourth in the overall medals tally with a total of 61 medals including 22 gold, 16 silver and 23 bronze.
• Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2022 was conferred to Sharath Kamal Achanta (Born in July, 1982).
  • He is one of the most outstanding Table Tennis players of the country.
  • He has won three gold medals (Individual, Mix Doubles & Team) and one silver medal in Commonwealth Games, 2022.
• This year 25 athletes across the Olympic sports, Paralympic sports and Deaflympics sports have received the Arjuna Awards.
• Seema Punia (Born in July, 1983) received Arjuna Award 2022 for her outstanding performance in the discipline of Athletics.
• 23-year-old Neeraj Chopra created history by wining India’s first ever athletics Gold in men’s javelin throw at Tokyo Olympics 2020.
  • With this, he has become the first Indian athlete to win gold ever in athletics and India’s second ever individual Olympic gold medalist after shooter Abhinav Bindra, who bagged gold in Beijing 2008.
• Indian teen Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa made history by defeating the noted World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway.
  • At the young age of 16, R Praggnanandhaa completed the feat in 39 moves.
  • Apart from Viswanathan Anand and Pentala Harikrishna, he is only the third Indian to defeat Magnus Carlsen.

INTRODUCTION

• India, being the world’s largest democracy, is embedded with the values of Sarvodaya and Antyodaya.
  • Sarvodaya is a compound word comprised of sarva (all) and udaya (rise/uplift) which means rise/upliftment of every citizen.
  • Antyodaya signifies the rise of the last person standing in the line.
• These values cannot be achieved by a single organisation, company, individual or Government; these values can be accomplished when every stakeholder in our country joins hands to work for the greater good.
• Sarvodaya and Antyodaya can be achieved through participatory governance, and the same is the backbone of democracy.

MyGov

• To place people at the centre of development, the Prime Minister launched MyGov on 26 July 2014. MyGov is Government of India’s citizen engagement platform.
• It works with numerous government organisations and ministries to involve citizens in the policy-making process and solicit their opinions on matters and subjects that are important to the welfare of the general public.
• MyGov has adopted multiple engagement methods like discussions, tasks, polls, surveys, blogs, talks, pledges, quizzes and on-ground activities by innovatively using the internet, mobile apps, IVRS, SMS and Outbound Dialling (OBD) technologies for reaching out to the citizens.

The youth is the backbone of MyGov’s outreach platform. MyGov facilitates participatory governance or Jan Bhagidari by:

• Information Dissemination:
  • Inability to disseminate information effectively often results in missing crucial information and misleads citizens.
  • MyGov helps to reach out to the beneficiaries and acts like a onestop platform for citizens. In addition to ensuring the efficient transfer of new knowledge, effective dissemination also increases awareness and fosters cooperation.
• Two-Way Communication:
  • Two-way Communication is one of the crucial aspects of a participatory governance.
  • MyGov facilitates two-way communication through social media engagement and innovative platforms.
• Transparency:
  • MyGov acts like a one-stop platform for filing nominations quickly and digitally; this increases trust and confidence amongst citizens.
  • Transparency fosters accountability and provides information for citizens about what the Government is doing.
• Fact Check:
  • In an age of propaganda and information overload, MyGov helps citizens to know about facts and government announcements.
• Infusing Collaborations:
  • MyGov enables citizen-citizen and government-citizen collaborations. Like-minded citizens can work together on ‘ideas’. MyGov also acts as a great networking platform for individuals who want to bring a positive change.

CONCLUSION

• The youth of our country has played and is playing a critical role in promoting participatory governance.
• Paying attention to young people’s aspirations and utilising their energies and ideas in serving local communities through youth participation is vital. MyGov calls upon all youngsters to unleash their talents and contribute their bit to participatory governance and nation building.
• APJ Abdul Kalam had said, “I would like to put forth that the ignited mind of the youth is the most powerful resource on the earth. I am convinced that the youth power, if properly directed and controlled, could bring about transformational changes in humanity for its progress, meeting its challenges, and bring peace and prosperity.”

1. Launch of ‘Stay Safe Online’ Campaign and ‘G20 Digital Innovation Alliance’

• As part of India’s G20 presidency, the Minister for Electronics & Information Technology, Communications and Railways, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw launched the “Stay Safe Online” campaign and the “G20 Digital Innovation Alliance” (G20-DIA) on 28 December 2022.
• MeitY, the Nodal Ministry for the G20 Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG), has represented India in numerous working groups and Ministerial sessions during previous presidencies.
• During India’s G20 presidency, MeitY will focus on three priority areas, namely,
  • Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI),
  • Cyber Security, and
  • Digital Skill Development, together with the Stay Safe Online campaign and DIA programme under the DEWG.

STAY SAFE ONLINE CAMPAIGN

• The objective of the ‘Stay Safe Online Campaign’ is to raise awareness among citizens to stay safe in the online world due to the widespread use of social media platforms and the rapid adoption of digital payments.
• The campaign involves the dissemination of multilingual awareness content in the form of infographics, cartoon stories, puzzles, short videos, etc. and amplifying the same through extensive use of the MyGov website (https://www.mygov.in/staysafeonline) and prominent social media platforms.

G20 DIGITAL INNOVATION ALLIANCE (G20-DIA)

• The objective of the G20 Digital Innovation Alliance (G20-DIA) is to identify, recognise, and enable the adoption of innovative and impactful digital technologies developed by startups, from G20 nations as well as the invited non-member nations, which can address the needs of humanity in the critically important sectors of Agri-tech, Health-tech, Ed-tech, Fin-tech, Secured Digital Infrastructure, and Circular Economy.
• The engagement of innovators, entrepreneurs, startups, corporations, investors, mentors, and other ecosystem stakeholders will lead to the speedy acceptance of the platform that India plans to offer through the G20 Digital Innovation Alliance (G20-DIA).

2. Initiatives of Nehru Yuva Kendras

• Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) has been a major partner for implementation of Poshan Maah programme across the country since 2018.
• District Nehru Yuva Kendras motivate the National Youth Corps (NYV) and Youth Clubs to sensitise the villagers on the issues of malnutrition, importance of balance diet, traditional food in collaboration with District Administration, Anganwadi and ASHA Workers for effective implementation.
• NYKS conducted 947 district level, 5661 block level and 23,782 village level yoga events with a participation of 9.88 lakh youth on International Day of Yoga in 2022.
• Pan-India Bicycle Rallies were organised by NYKS in 35 States/UTs.
• NYKS organised 68,364 activities of ‘Run for Unity’.
• NYKS organised 481 District Level Youth Parliaments with the aim to educate Youth Club members.
• In 2022, 437 District Yuva Utsav programmes have been organised by NYKS with the participation of 1.31 lakh youth in various competitions of ‘Yuva Utsav’.
• Each ‘Yuva Utsav’ has six components namely
  • Young Artist Camp-Painting,
  • Young Writers Camp-Poem,
  • Photography Contest,
  • Declamation Contest,
  • Cultural Festival-Group Events and
  • Youth Samvaad-India@2047.