National Youth Day and Demographic Dividend

National Youth Day and Demographic Dividend

Subject – Art and Culture

Context – National youth day is celebrated on 12^th January every year.

Concept –

Definition of youth

• Youth are defined as those aged 15 to 29 in the national youth policy (2014). This age-group constitutes 27.5% of India’s population.
• The United Nations, for statistical purposes, defines ‘youth’, as those persons between the ages of 15 and 24 years, without prejudice to other definitions by Member States

Department of Youth Affairs look after youth development.

There are three organisations working for the development of Youth under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports are (i) Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS); (ii) National Service Scheme (NSS) and (iii) RG National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD). These organizations are as follows:

1. RG National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD):RGNIYD, Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, is an ‘Institute of National Importance’ under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India. RGNIYD functions as a vital resource centre with its multi-faceted 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.
2. Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS):NYKS is one of the largest youth organisations in the world. NYKS has presence in 623 Districts through Nehru YuvaKendras. The Objective is to develop the personality of the youth and to engage them in nation-building activities. The areas of focus of the NYKS activities include education, health and sanitation, environment, awareness on social issues, women empowerment, civic education, disaster relief and rehabilitation, etc.
3. National Service Scheme (NSS):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. The motto of NSS is “NOT ME, BUT YOU” ‘(स्वयं से पहले आप’).

• At present there are 1.87 Lakh Youth Clubs affiliated with Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan with membership of 36 Lakh youth volunteers across the country and NSS has about 40 lakh volunteers enrolled in 479 Universities, 17676 Colleges/ Technical Institutions and 12087 Senior Secondary Schools.
• National Programme for Youth Adolescent Development (NPYAD) Scheme is provided by Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan(NYKS) under Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. NPYAD is a 100% central sector grants-in-aid Scheme. Users can get details about the eligibility criteria, beneficiary type and benefits of the Scheme. Information on how to avail the Scheme is provided. Details of the applying authority, required documents and guidelines are also available

Demographic dividend:

Demographic dividend means that the country’s dependency ratio, as measured by the share of the young and the elderly as a fraction of the population, will come down more sharply in the coming decades. Increase in the share of working age population means more workers in the productive age groups that will add to the total output, generate more savings, accrue more capital per worker, and all these leading to higher economic growth.

Challenges:

• Social infrastructure is still lagging behind.
• Poor educational and healthcare infrastructure to meet the requirements of the young and the elderly.
• Low skill levels of workforce

What needs to be done?

• Skill development of the young population through vocational and formal education and creation of adequate jobs.
• Strengthening health and education infrastructure.