Mera Yuva Bharat

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in news?
• National Youth Policy, 2014
• News Summary: Cabinet approves establishment of an autonomous body Mera Yuva Bharat
• Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat)
• Need for MY Bharat

Why in news?

• Union Cabinet has approved the establishment of an autonomous body called Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat).
• This body will be established for youth-led development and to provide equitable access to the youth.

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: Cabinet approves establishment of an autonomous body Mera Yuva Bharat

• The Union Cabinet has approved establishment of an autonomous body Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat).
• This will serve as an overarching enabling mechanism powered by technology for youth development and youth led development.

Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat)

About:

• The platform is meant to offer suitable opportunities for youngsters to engage in voluntary work in the field of their choice and look for such opportunities across the country. 
• It will act as a one-stop shop for young people and various central government ministries, and will also create a centralised youth database.
• However, there will be no financial remuneration involved.
• The Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat) will be launched on 31st October, 2023 on National Unity Day.

Primary objective:

• The primary objective of Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat) is to make it a whole of Government platform for youth development.

Features:

• The autonomous body will benefit the youth in the age group of 15-29 years, in line with the definition of youth in the National Youth Policy.
• In the case of programme components meant for adolescents, the beneficiaries will be in the age group of 10-19 years.
• Under the new arrangement, with access to resources & connection to opportunities, youth would become community change agents and nation builders.
• This will allow them to act as the Yuva Setu between the Government and the citizens.
• It seeks to harness the immense youth energy for nation building.

The establishment of Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat) would lead to:

• Leadership Development in the Youth:
  • Improve the leadership skills through experiential learning by shifting from isolated physical interaction to programmatic skills.
  • Investing more in youth to make them social innovators, leaders in the communities.
  • Setting the focus of the Government on Youth Led development and to make the Youth “active drivers” of development and not merely “passive recipients”.
• Better alignment between youth aspirations and community needs.
• Enhanced efficiency through Convergence of existing programmes.
• Act as a one stop shop for young people and Ministries.
• Create a centralized youth data base.
• Improved two-way communication to connect youth government initiatives and activities of other stakeholder that engage with youth.
• Ensuring accessibility by creating a physical ecosystem.

Need for MY Bharat

• India’s youth are to play a critical role in defining the future of the nation -especially at the pivotal juncture of India’s 75 years of independence.
• Vision 2047 requires a framework that can bring rural youth, urban youth and Rurban youth under a single platform.
  • The existing schemes of Department were designed and launched at different points in time over the last 50 years with the then prevailing understanding of needs of rural youth in our society.
  • The dynamic shifts in the urban-rural landscape have necessitated a re-evaluation of these approaches.
  • It is imperative to create a framework that unites rural, urban, and rurban youth on a common platform.
  • Mera Yuva Bharat can help to create such a framework.
• There is a need to establish a new contemporary technology led platform for the Government to engage with the present-day youth.
  • In today's fast-paced world, characterized by rapid communication, the prevalence of social media, a technology driven platform can connect youth to programs.
  • It can help them improve their capabilities and also connect them with community activities.
• Ensuring accessibility by creating a phygital ecosystem
• The Mera Yuva Bharat platform will create such a phygital eco-system and empower young individuals to become catalysts for community transformation.
  • Phygital - (physical plus digital).
• Recently, a web portal of the Department of Youth Affairs, yuva.gov.in, hosted a nation-wide program called “Meri Maati Mera Desh” in which 50 million young people participated.
  • It helped to plant 23 million saplings to create Amrit Vatikas pan-India.
• Mera Yuva Bharat would help to create and sustain such a phygital eco-system that connects millions of young people in a network seamlessly.
• Mera Yuva Bharat supported by a technology platform would help to increase the Youth outreach efforts of the Department of Youth Affairs.

Q1) What is phygital?

Phygital is a marketing term that describes the blending of physical and digital experiences. It's a portmanteau of the words "physical" and "digital".

Phygital is an innovative concept that combines elements of physical stores and digital platforms to create interactive customer experiences. It emphasizes convenience and personalization.

Q2) What is Vision 2047?

Vision 2047 is an ambitious agenda for India's economic future. The goal is to become a developed nation and one of the two largest economies in the world by 2047, which marks India's 100th year of independence.

Source: Centre to create autonomous body Mera Yuva Bharat to ‘harness immense youth energy for nation-building’ | PIB | The Hindu