Mita Nath Bora
(mitanathbora7@gmail.com)
Ancient India's young youthful leader Swami Vivekananda said some 100+ years ago that the youth are the greatest strength of any country and the future of a country is shaped by the efforts of its youth.
As Assam hosted the Youth 20 Inception meet in Guwahati from 6th to 8th February 2023, it has been the talk of the town that saw the presence of young leaders, and foreign delegates from across the nation and from G20 countries. The meeting brought youths from different fields and expertise together under one platform to discuss, and deliberate on a wide range of issues that impact their lives today, an understanding of the opportunities that exist for them to leverage from; and how they can work together to shape the future.
As India presides over the 2023 G20 it "Prioritizes Human Centered Development" and hence "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" which translates to "the world is one family" that espouses the idea of universal brotherhood and the unity of all living beings. Therefore, the theme this year is 'One Earth-One Family-One Future.' Youth being one of the largest cohorts, the India Y20 Summit saw initiatives that exemplify India's youth-centric efforts. 5 sub-themes have been selected for the Y20 meet- Future of Work: Industry 4.0, Innovation and 21st-century skills, Climate Change & Disaster Risk Reduction: Making Sustainability a way of life, Peacebuilding and Reconciliation: Ushering in an era of No war, Shared Future: Youth in Democracy and Governance, Health, Wellbeing & Sports: Agenda for Youth.
Shared Future-Youths in Democracy & Governance as a theme is not only apt in the whole of G20 & Y20 meets it is also the need of times as the next century belongs to today's youth. A shared future that we often talk about refers to a vision of a society in which individuals, communities, and nations work together to create a more equitable and sustainable future for all. It is based on the idea that everyone has a stake in the future. It is a shared resource that will shape the lives of people in the years to come, and it is important that everyone has the opportunity to contribute to its development and direction. And though the future belongs to everyone, regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, or any other factor, in particular, the future belongs to young people, important as they make up a large portion of the population- their voices, opinions and perspectives must be heard and considered in decision-making processes. Besides, being the most important and dynamic segment of the population today, the role that Youths can play, and the responsibilities they take on, will help create and shape the future of our 'One World'. And we have obligation to nurture them and guide them so that they can bring about meaningful change, in development, in rightful advancement, as they move ahead.
So it requires collaboration, cooperation, a commitment to the common good, diversity, and inclusiveness amongst all. Now, this necessitates a holistic and long-term approach to creating a world that is more peaceful, just, and prosperous for all. And 3 aspects are important here-
Building inclusive and participatory institutions: Encouraging the participation of young people in all levels of decision-making, creating opportunities for their active involvement in governance and promoting their representation in institutional structures can lead to a shared future.
Empowering young people through education and skills development can help them to participate in governance and become leaders in their communities.
Respecting the role that technology plays, the use of which, especially social media, has given youth a platform to express their views, mobilize and engage with each other and with decision-makers.
India is considered 'the mother of democracy' and values immensely the voices and participation of youth in democracy and decision-making in matters of governance. And as Youths come forward to play an important role in promoting democracy, fighting corruption, fighting dynasties, and fighting rigid provisions, including legal provisions; they will be facing numerous challenges, complex challenges. Addressing these challenges is important as only then can we increase youth participation and create a shared future that can help them be successful and meaningful Agents of Change.
Interestingly, in terms of political engagement, young people in India are increasingly politically engaged, which is providing a voice for their needs and interests. "Yuva Shakti"- the power of the youth is the driving force of India's journey, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi says. Youth representation in the global scenario has a median age of 31, about 28% of young parliamentarians. Whereas, India is doing better where the median age is 29. Today it has 40% MP below the age of 50-55 and 13% below 40. The point to note is that today's India is young and it encourages young leaders.
One of the thematic focus areas under Shared Future was on the policy sector as a site of active agency for the youth to contribute to governance and the top key policy spaces that India leads when it prioritizes youth include:
Social Inclusion: How India has policies in place that over the last 8 years addressed and worked on to reduce the social and economic inequalities, and discrimination that affects young people, brought in policies that support the inclusion of all young people in almost every sphere of community and societal change.
Technology and Innovation: India has been continuously making efforts and introducing policies that support the development and use of technology to improve the lives of young people, as well as provide opportunities for young people to participate in the digital economy. The 2023 Union Budget is a great example that saw Rs 235.57 crore earmarked for PMKVY 4.0, a scheme that aims to skill lakhs of youth within the next 3 years on new age courses like coding, AI, robotics, mechatronics, IOT, 3D printing, drones, and make the future of our youth ready. Besides it talks about setting up 3 Centres of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence, 100 5G labs, 30 Skill India International Centres, expanding the Skill India Digital Platform, an initiative of creating a National Data Governance Policy, etc. In India, we are fortunate to have a government very keen and focused on developing and empowering our youths from all strata of life. It is considered a youth inclusive-youth empowering budget.
Civic Engagement: India of present highly encourages and supports youth participation in democratic processes, such as voting, volunteering, and advocacy.
Environment: Policies are being put in place that addresses the environmental challenges facing young people, such as climate change, and support their efforts to create a more sustainable future.
Anurag Singh Thakur, Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting and Youth Affairs & Sports, GoI, beautifully laid out how the Amrit kaal is an era of Adhigam Kal- an era of leap forward, Awsar Kaal – an era of opportunities and Kartavya Kaal – an era of duty to the nation. Today, India is uniquely poised to usher in an era of rapid social, economic, environmental and technological innovation and advancement and lead the world of the future.