NEW DELHI: A major component of G20 every year, Y20 or Youth 20 is of special significance for India because of its demographics. The country is home to the largest youth population in the world.
India is according high priority to Y20 in its year of the G20 presidency in keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal and vision of maximising the participation of youth in the affairs of the country.
Launching the Y20 logo, website and themes at a curtain-raiser event on January 6 in New Delhi, Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur said, “Today’s youth are ‘AGENTs of change’, where A stands for ‘advocate for a cause you believe in’, G stands for “go-green and embrace a sustainable lifestyle’, E stands for ‘equality and inclusivity – ensure that the spaces you are in are diverse, intergenerational and inclusive’, N stands for ‘nurture your physical and mental health’ and T stands for ‘tech-Innovation’”.
Platform for youth
India will be hosting the Y20 Summit on the sidelines of the G20 Summit this year. Its focus will be on future of work; climate change and disaster risk reduction; peacebuilding and reconciliation; and youth in democracy. The purpose of Y20 is to provide a platform to youth to express their vision and ideas on the G20 priorities.
The curtain-raiser event was followed by a panel discussion on ‘How India can harness its youth population to be a superpower’. The discussion centred around the role Indian youth can play in making India a superpower.
India had announced a National Youth Policy (NYP) in 2014 which reiterates the commitment of the entire nation to all-round development of the youth of the country so that they can realise their full potential and contribute productively to nation-building.
Policy inputs
The Y20 Summit will provide an opportunity to youth to be heard and present constructive policy inputs for building a holistic future. During the summit, youth from across G20 members and invitee countries will engage in knowledge sharing, problem solving and deliberations with focus on social development.
Discussions and seminars will be organised throughout the year in both state and central universities across the nation. PM Modi has been a vocal advocate of a greater participation of youth in finding solutions for problems afflicting not only India but the whole world.
Last year during the 42nd convocation ceremony at Anna University, Chennai, he had said, “it is not only India that is looking towards its youth. The whole world is looking at India’s youth with hope. Because you are the growth engines of the country, and India is the world’s growth engine.”
The National Youth Policy 2014 identifies five objectives with 11 priority areas. These include creating a productive workforce that can make a sustainable contribution to the country’s growth. Priority areas to achieve this objective are education, employment & skill development and entrepreneurship. The other four objectives include health, community service, good governance and inclusion.
