Thought for the day
"Who serves his country well has no need of ancestors."
-
Voltaire (French, 1694-1778)
Word for the day
Star-crossed (adj)
Ill-fated; Thwarted or opposed by the stars;
(Source:
Dictionary.com)
Teaser for the day
Should the government consider
setting up a regulatory body for the Business of Religion?
Broaden the horizon
Continuing from yesterday...
Now, if demographic rebalancing is going to be a critical factor
in the transition of emerging global economic and market to a new paradigm, and
Indian youth has to play a critical role in this process, most profitable
business and investment themes have to revolve around him.
I know this is cliché. But the unfortunate fact is that Indian
growth in past two decade or so has miserably failed in creation of adequate
productive jobs for the burgeoning workforce of the country.
I feel in spite of fully recognizing the potential of the youth
and the problems faced by them, successive governments have mostly failed in
implementing an integrated youth policy that would focus on harnessing this
tremendous reservoir of energy.
India has so far issued three editions of national youth policy.
The first
edition was a brief 5 page vision paper which recognized the importance of
youth but did not provide any conceptual framework for the growth and
development of this one third segment of the population.
The second
edition was issued in 2003 and contained a detailed framework for the
implementation. It recognized that “the question of employment is, at present,
of very serious concern for the Indian youth and that several social issues
arise out of widespread unemployment and under-employment of the youth”. The
policy emphasized that “critical issues in this area include a mis-match
between skills-requirement and employment opportunities, low technology levels,
low wages and low productivity, occupational shifts in employment,
under-employment owing to seasonal factors, excess labor supply in relation to
demand, migration of the labor force from the rural to urban areas and limited
participation of women in the work force, especially in the organized sector”.
The policy was supposed to be implemented forthwith and reviewed
after every five year. The change in government in 2004 however meant that it
was hardly implemented.
The previous government had issued a draft
policy in 2012 with the goal of “empowering the youth of the nation by
bringing holistic development”. The objective, inter alia, included “Through a
sustained program of education and training and appropriate support services,
help young people become economically self-reliant and productive units of the
country, either by taking up employment or by setting up their own business
enterprises.” The policy has yet not been adopted. I hear that the incumbent
government is working on a new draft that may be released in next 6 months.
My issue with the government approach is that it is too
parochial. The government appears more concerned with keeping youth engaged so
that they do not indulge in unlawful activities. I want youth to be considered
most valuable and scarce natural resource, more precious than gold and diamond,
and prospected and marketed accordingly....more on this tomorrow.
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