In News:
- As per the “Youth in India 2022” report, India’s favourable demographic dividend is at an inflection point, with the population share of the youth starting to taper off.
- Demographic dividend occurs when the proportion of working people in the total population is high.
- This report has been released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
What’s in Today’s Article:
- Youth in India – Importance of youth in a country, definition, Youths & SDG, National Youth Policy 2014
- News Summary
In Focus: Youth in India
Background
- It is believed that developing countries with large youth population could see tremendous growth, provided they invest in young people’s education, health and protect their rights.
- Engagement of youth plays an important role because young people are: Critical thinkers; Change-makers; Innovators; Communicators; Leaders.
Who are youths?
- There is no universally agreed international definition of the youth age group.
- For statistical purposes, however, the United Nations defines ‘youth’ as those persons between the ages of 15 and 24 years.
- In India, as per National Youth Policy-2003, ‘youth’ was defined as a person of age between 13-35 years.
- But in the National Youth Policy 2014, the persons between the age group of 15 and 29 years are considered youth.
Youth and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- While all the Sustainable Development Goals are critical to youth development, almost one-half of SDG targets reference young people explicitly or implicitly with a focus on empowerment, participation and well-being. These are:
- Poverty (Goal 1), Health (Goal 3), Education (Goal 4), Gender Equality (Goal 5),
- Employment and Decent Work (Goal 8), Reducing Inequality (Goal 10), Inclusive, Safe, Resilient and Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements (Goal 11),
- Sustainable Consumption and Production patterns (Goal 12) and Climate Change (Goal 13).
National Youth Policy, 2014
- The National Youth Policy, 2014 (NYP-2014) reiterates the commitment of the entire nation to all-round development of the youth of India, so that they can realize their full potential and contribute productively to the nation-building process.
News Summary
- The ‘Youth in India 2022’ report has been released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
Key highlights of the report
- Youth population is projected to decline
- This report said youth in the age group of 15-29 years comprise 27.2 per cent of the population for 2021, which is expected to decrease to 22.7 by 2036.
- The total youth population increased from 222.7 million in 1991 to 333.4 million in 2011 and is projected to reach 371.4 million by 2021.
- Thereafter, the number will decrease to 345.5 million by 2036.
- Share of the elderly is expected to increase
- The report highlights that the share of the elderly is expected to steadily surge during 2021-2036.
- The proportion of elderly population to the total population has increased to 9.2 per cent in 2016 and is projected to reach 14.9 per cent in 2036.
- States such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh are projected to see a higher elderly population than the youth by 2036.
- Projections for states
- Bihar and Uttar Pradesh experienced a rise in proportion of youth population to total population till 2021 and then it is expected to start declining.
- These two states, along with Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, are projected to have 52 per cent of the country’s youth.
- There will be greater demand for the healthcare facilities and welfare programmes for elderly people
- A greater proportion of youth at present will result in a greater proportion of elderly in the population in future.
- This will create a demand for better healthcare facilities and development of welfare schemes/programmes for elderly people.
- The rise in the share of elderly population will put pressure on social security and public welfare systems.
- The next 4-5 years need to be utilised well to accelerate productive job creation.
