EMPOWER YOUTH, EMPOWER NATION
Although linked to the biological process of development and aging, Youth is also reflected as a social position given to individuals between childhood and adulthood by different cultures and societies. The meaning of Youth, therefore varies in different societies, as do the different roles and responsibilities. The youth constitutes about one-sixth of the global population and is an important asset for the economic, political and social life of their communities. They have the creativity, the potential as well as the capacity to make change happen not only for themselves but for the rest of the world. The young people bring new ideas, new energy, new vigour in the society and finally provide an atmosphere that helps in the development of nation. India, in particular, is provided with a unique demographic advantage as the average age is 28 years as of 2021 and every fourth person is a youth. This places the country at the crossroads of having a maximum work force with less dependent population.
Being a home to almost fifth of the world’s youth, India’s young population is its most valuable asset. However, at the same time it poses the most pressing challenge as well because of the potential of youth to get misdirected by the mischievous elements prevailing in the society. As the traditional and cultural values are being influenced by the west, the competing ways of life that exist can be considered either as a choice or a cause of confusion for young people. For a country like India to move from a developing to the developed and progressive nation, the young people need to be motivated in goal directed manner rather than being used and getting lost under the influence of people in the world of glare.
The youth constitutes backbone of the country as they are fearless, dynamic and have the desire to bring about a positive change in the society, where everyone is to get equal opportunity to express themselves, equal opportunity to earn and equal opportunity to spend. They are actually the agents of change but unfortunately the disheartening fact remains that they are being misled, misused and marginalised by the policy makers. They are being discriminated on the basis of colour of skin, clothes they wear, region they come from, religion they practice and the wealth they own. This is the reason why India is still facing poverty, unemployment, corruption, suicide, and various kinds of socio-economic problems.
Among the various social, economic and political barriers which prevent youth to participate in the development process, the two main inhibitory factors worth to mention are the level of education (indicative of wealth status as well) and the caste and/or religious position. For the poorest people even young children are needed to contribute and earning a living may be more important than education. The child labour is still a major issue in India and the youth is deprived of the basic minimal education. Unesco’s 11th Education For All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report suggests that at the present rate of progress the poorest women in India will not be universally literate until 2080. Therefore, increasing the level of education across the country should be the basic priority of any government policy so that the youth is able to act judiciously and take decisions without being pampered by the people in authority. Not only this, but education also helps in developing the skills in the young so that they are able to undertake the type of jobs that will help in economic growth and finally development of country.
The caste system and/or religious beliefs is another complex issue with multiple ramifications, divergent inflictions, varied outcomes and has a substantial influence on the lives of people, especially youth, in India. It. The desire to adhere to religious beliefs can be both a positive and negative factor for young people depending on the way their religion directs them to behave as people. The recruitment of valuable young people by terrorist organisations is really an area of concern in this respect. Apart from the religion, the way different groups within the population view each other and remain segregated based on the caste, it seems we are living in a divided society wherein some people are more likely to progress whilst others are open to oppression. Despite the changes made on papers to eliminate such kind of problems, the situation on ground has not changed much and youth is either being brain drained by western countries or is being utilised by those in power for their personal gains. This type of divide in a society benefits the very few rather than the country in cohesion.
Thus the overall situation has many factors working at the same time, some which are conducive to progress and others that are barriers. In a world of rapidly changing social and economic landscape, young people need to be guided properly by their parents, teachers, and relatives with the right mix of skills, information, knowledge and proficiency. At the same time specific initiatives need to be sought to involve young people in a range of topics so to foster thoughtful, productive, and engaged citizens in future.
Dr. Pawan Suri
Chief Cardiologist
SGL SuperSpeciality Hospital
Jalandhar, Punjab
Email: psuricardio@gmail.com
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