A State Youth Event on the National Youth Policy 2003 which has been participated by Panihati Chhatrashakti on 26th January 2008 at Indian Institute of Management – Kolkata, Joka
Preface:
The word ‘youth’ as defined by the oxford dictionary is being young or in the early part of one’s life, the National Youth Policy of India 2003 on the other hand defines it in terms of limitations in one’s age “in the age group 13 to 35 years”. Youth, therefore, is an early part of one’s life where one is physically young and belonging to a specific age group.
Youth in India may be denoted by a specific categorization in age but is also a subsequent need to understand the role of youth in the State. It is also important to know how youth are conducive in ushering pertinent and effective change in the prevalent political system of the State. In order to usher relevant changes in the political system one needs to be valued in the eye of that very political structure. This can only be ensured when an individual’s full participation is given due respect. According to definitions by the World Bank participation is the process through which citizens’ influence and share control over the decision and resources that affect them.
Participation of the citizens in the decision making process refers to good governance. Governance is the power exercised in the management of a country’s economic and social development (World Bank 1992). This so called ‘power’ in a democratic framework is exercised not only by the government and its various department, but also by various public institutions like-political parties, academic institutions, NGOs, media and lastly by the civil society. The civil society of any state invariably include the youth as an effective interest group also because those above 18 years enjoy adult franchise that empowers them to become part of governance through representational political structures.
But unfortunately, beyond electing their state representatives, youth in India are not vested with any other political powers except what is nominally mentioned in the National Youth Policy 2003 (revised since 1999), the only legal document for youth in our country. The key sectors of youth concern in the Policy include the following:
- Education;
- Training and Employment;
- Health and Family welfare;
- Preservation of Environment, Ecology and Wild life;
- Recreation and Sports;
- Arts and Culture;
- Science and Technology; and
- Civics and Good Citizenship
The policy in general speaks of what strategies and steps the government would adopt for the overall development of youth but it rarely emphatically mentions about how youth can themselves envisage and expedite the process of development in their own country. To be more specific the participation or involvement of youth in governance has been scarcely emphasized throughout the policy. It is only in one of the strategies under Civics and Good Citizenship that it finds some mention:
- To mobilize the youth to create local pressure groups within the community to fight corruption at all levels and to ensure that the benefits of development reach those for whom they are intended and are not siphoned of by middlemen and the powerful.
In spite of the existence of this policy, the approach towards youth has hardly undergone any change, the concerns of youth have been rarely been addressed. Also, the commendable voluntary and social efforts of youth have rarely been sincerely highlighted or encouraged by the government.
Unlike the National Youth Policy, the Right To Information Act 2005 provides a definite platform to make the system effective and promotes good governance. The RTI Act is thus a legitimate tool provided by the Government of India for the common masses in order to ensure the accountability and the efficiency of the State’s administration. The involvement of youth for the positive promotion of RTI Act is deemed necessary for youth to act as advocates of good governance.
The purpose of the Event:
- To propose recommendations for modification in the youth policy.
- To create an interface between the youth and the government.
- To form a committee that will take the recommendations to a campaign mode in other colleges, institutions and universities across West Bengal.
An invitation from Praajak, Kolkata which is working to create a platform for the youth, the Panihati Chhatrashakti as an organization working for the youth issues in West Bengal we have participated in that interactive session in IIM, Kolkata, Joke on 26th of January 2008. Many prominent personalities like Shri A. K. Patnayak – Secretary, Department of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of West Bengal, Ms. Sangamitra Ghosh – District Magistrate of South 24 Parganas, Shri Satya Gopal Dey – Manager, Development Support, CRY, Mr. Aveek Sen, Chief Editor, Telegraph, Prof. Raghabendra Chattopadhyay – IIM-Calcutta, Faculty, Prof. H R Tewari – IIT-Kharagpur, Faculty, Prof. Paromita Chakraborty, Faculty, Women’s study Department, Jadavpur University etc.
PANIHATI CHHATRASHAKTI 