IJournals: International Journal of Social Relevance & Concern (IJSRC)

ISSN-2347-9698
Volume 3 Issue 8, August 2015

EMPOWERMENT OF YOUTH: A
CHALLENGE OF 21ST CENTURY
Dr. Bimal Jaiswal
Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Economics,
Faculty of Commerce, University of Lucknow,
Lucknow, U.P. E.mail: bimalsiyaram@yahoo.com
Mob. 9453033262

Ms. Saloni Bhasin

Junior Research Fellow, Department of Applied Economics, University of Lucknow,
Lucknow, U.P. E.mail: saloneee2011@gmail.com
Mob. 8005032392

Ms. Astha Sharma

Assistant Professor, Institute of Management Sciences, University of Lucknow,
Lucknow, U.P. E.mail: connec2astha@gmail.com
Mob. 9451951225

ABSTRACT
Youth‟s Empowerment is an agenda of immense discussions and contemplation worldwide which has been on the
top of lists of most government plans, programs and policies. Empowerment and capacity building provides young
people an avenue to gain practical information and learning for their improved livelihoods. India can become a
developed nation only if every youth contributes to the best of his or her capacity and ability. Optimum utilisation
of the talents of our youth will make India a super power, a developed country by 2020.This working research
paper attempts to understand the concept of youth empowerment on a holistic basis and critically examine the
challenges confronting the empowerment of today‟s youth along in terms of Educational attainment, access to
Information and Communication Technology, poverty eradication, social empowerment of youth, employability,
political empowerment, Environment protection and youth Entrepreneurship along with the strategies for
overcoming the hurdles in the way to empowering youth.
Keywords: Empowerment, education, health, ICT, entrepreneurship

INTRODUCTION
India is a young country with 70 percent of people below the age of 35 years. It is this young population which
constitutes, for India, a potential demographic dividend which needs to be properly addressed and harnessed
towards positive, constructive and purposeful activities by imparting quality education, greater political
participation of youth, gaining access to Information and Communication Technology and urgent attention to
improving their quality of life. Unless harnessed and directed the energy of our youths in constructive channels
leading to development and progress, this very energy of the youth can fall prey to several dubious and anti social
elements of the society posing danger to the very existence of the civilisation thus resulting in crimes, drug
addictions and violence which is rapidly increasing in today's time. The creative potential of the younger
generation coupled with their zeal, enthusiasm, energy and versatility can work wonders for the country. We need
to empower them so that they can make a better tomorrow. Young people are the backbone on which every
successful nation has been built. Unfortunately our country has yet to recognize the treasure they have in their
youth and strategize how to tap into this profuse resource. According to a report published by IRIS Knowledge
Foundation in collaboration with UN-HABITAT, India is set to become the youngest country by 2020 with 64
percent of its population in the working age-group. It shows an increase in its working population from 353 million
in 2001 to 430 million in 2011. Current predictions suggest a steady increase in the youth population to 464 million
by 2021 and finally a decline to 458 million by 2026.The young population could benefit the nation only when they
are enabled to acquire skill sets that fit into and contribute to the emerging economy thereby entailing higher
economic growth and social development. Lack of access to formal education and vocational training, unable to

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 IJournals: International Journal of Social Relevance & Concern (IJSRC)
ISSN-2347-9698
Volume 3 Issue 8, August 2015
access Information and Communication technology, increasing youth unemployment, malnutrition, are the main
challenges before the empowerment of youth in the today‟s century. Hence, the present paper aims at identifying
the challenges faced by today‟s youth and suggesting strategies and recommendations for uprooting them and
attempts at creating such a nation where women are considered equally respectful and dominant as men.

YOUTH OF INDIA
Youth is a stage of life which is receded by strong will, qualitative imagination and vigour of emotions; all these
when put together and channelized in the right direction will lead to realization of desired goals. In this regard a
wonderful line by Cock Sparrer is as follows “because you’re young, you,re torn between a world of hate and a
world of dream. So much to lose, so much to gain.So much to fight for, So much to change”. We the youth of
India are the greatest wealth and strength of our nation and its quality determines the kind of future, the nation will
have. The youth of any nation and society are the powerhouse of infinite energy which can be sighted from the
examples of those Indians who made everyone proud of them, such as Sachin Tendulkar, Vishwanathan Anand,
Sania Mirza, Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupati, Aishwarya Rai, P.T. Usha, Rajiv Gandhi, Kapil Dev, Major
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Anil Kumble, etc.
Today is the century of youths. Providing them quality education is the fundamental way to empowering youth
which makes them scientific, logical, open-minded, self-respecting, responsible, honest and patriotic. Without such
virtues being developed, our youth cannot achieve their desired goals. Increasing unemployment in the country is
leading our youths in the wrong direction in the lust for power, money and status. It is high time we prevent our
youth from leaving the country or giving into violence and terrorism by providing them better options, by
strengthening them, by empowering them. Focussing on constructively using the power of the youth for the
betterment of the nation and framing such policies which aim at empowering them can assure a better future and a
brighter tomorrow for our economy.

CONCEPT OF EMPOWERMENT OF YOUTH IN INDIA

Youth empowerment is an attitudinal, structural, and cultural process whereby young people gain the ability,
authority, and agency to make decisions and implement change in their own lives and the lives of other people,
including youth and adults. The World Bank‟s publication Empowerment and Poverty: A Sourcebook views
Empowerment broadly as increasing poor people„s freedom of choice and action to shape their own lives. It implies
control over resources and decisions (Narayan 2005).Youth empowerment “is based on the belief that young
people are the best resource for promoting development and they are agents of change in meeting their own
challenges and solving their own problems” (Ministry of State Youth Affairs, 2007, p. 13). For young people to
be empowered, certain processes and mechanisms have to be maintained and implemented. The today‟s youth feels
an urge to speak up, to stand by itself and by their beliefs and ideals. They believe in the Freedom of Speech and
Expression and have the courage to stand against all sorts of injustice, inhumanity, social problems, racism,
inequality, differentiation in religions, political issues, etc. The youths, the future leaders of our country want to
work hard to make the world a better place tomorrow when it will be passed onto them. They are aggressive yet
strong enough to cater to the needs and wants of others.

The United Nations Human Settlements Program (UNCHS-Habitat) (2005) defines youth empowerment as
“the circumstances and factors which enhance the development of citizenship and productiveness among young
people as they move into adulthood. It is concerned with the adaptation of government structures and institutions to
protect and deliver children‟s, youths‟ and human rights, including the right to participation”. The word
'empowerment' means giving power. According to the International Encyclopedia (1999), power means having
the capacity and the means to direct one's life towards desired social, political and economic goals or status.
Empowerment provides a greater access to knowledge and resources, more autonomy in decision making, greater
ability to plan lives, more control over the circumstances which influence lives, and freedom from customs, beliefs
and practices. Teens Empowerment is essential since empowerment leads to competence and competence is linked
to self-esteem (Harter, 1993). Teens with increased competency can honestly express their opinions and emotions,
receive both formal and informal education and training, develop a voice and are being able to exercise power and
take action.

The National Youth Policy, 2014 (NYP-2014) seeks to define the Vision of the Government of India for the
Youth of the Country and identify the key areas in which action is required, where not enough is being done, to
enable youth development and to provide a framework for action for all stakeholders. It provides a holistic Vision
for the youth of India which is “to empower the youth of the country to achieve their full potential, and through
them enable India to find its rightful place in the community of nations”. The key areas are as follows:-Education
,Employment and Skill Development, Entrepreneurship, Health and Healthy Lifestyle, Sports, Promotion of Social
Values, Community Engagement, Participation in politics and governance, Youth engagement, Inclusion and

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 IJournals: International Journal of Social Relevance & Concern (IJSRC)
ISSN-2347-9698
Volume 3 Issue 8, August 2015
Social justice. Commonwealth Youth Ministers and Heads of Government are of the view that Young people
are empowered when they acknowledge that they have or can create choices in life, are aware of the implications of
those choices, make an informed decision freely, take action based on that decision and accept responsibility for the
consequences of those actions.

NEED FOR YOUTH EMPOWERMENT

„We need to empower our youth, which can only be done through quality education so that they will one day
become successful leaders in life.‟ Empowering youth is the need of hour as 27.5% of the population comprise of
the age group of 15-29 years contributing about 34% of India‟s Gross National Income (GNI). There exists a huge
potential to increase the contribution of this class of the nation‟s citizens by increasing their labour force
participation and their productivity.
The need for empowering youth arises due to the following reasons:-
 To enable youth to acquire such knowledge, skills and techniques which will help them in their personal
and social growth as well as foster in them sensitivity towards problems in the society.
 To promote national integration and international understanding by developing youth leadership and
providing a forum for youth from diverse background.
 To promote regional co-operation and exchange between people of various countries.
 Foster initiatives for unfolding the potential of youth through a constant process of self evaluation and self
-exploration.
 Promote research in youth work.
 Training Programs: Conducting training programs for youth across a wide spectrum of developmental
activities. The issues mainly dealt are: Leadership & Personality Development, Entrepreneurship
Development and Awareness, Training program on NGO Management, Fund Raising, Disaster
Management, Water Conservation, Women Empowerment, Communication Skills, Prevention of Drug
Abuse and Alcoholism and so on.

There are 3C‟s for empowering the youths:-

 Capacity building
 Capability to be empowered
 Competence implying a positive sense of self, self-control, decision-making skills, a moral system of
belief.
By achieving these 3C‟s, India can become a superpower nation. An empowered person is thus expected to
exhibit a sense of personal control, critical awareness, and willingness to work with others to achieve desired
goals.

UNDERSTANDING YOUTH IN ORDER TO EMPOWER THEM

Today India is called YOUNGISTAN as 21st century is the century of youths who develop vibrant ideas and have
the enthusiasm to learn from their mistakes. Listening to young people‟s vibrant ideas can both empower youth to
voice their perspectives and strengthen our understanding of what youth identify as salient.
 CRITICAL AWARENESS: It implies providing the youth with such information and resources which
seems essential for analysing issues that affect their lives and environments as well as tapping new
strategies to act as agents of change for the nation as a whole.
 PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES: The process of providing youth with platforms for decision-making
and encouraging their active and rigorous participation in creating change in our country.

CHALLENGES AND STRATEGIES FOR YOUTH EMPOWERMENT

1. EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Education is milestone of youth empowerment as only the educated youth can play a very dominant role in the
economic development of our country as well as in becoming informed citizens, parents, and family members. The
growth of youth‟s education in rural areas is very slow implying that still large women folk of our country are
illiterate, the weak, backward and exploited. Therefore “Educating the women” is the most powerful tool of change
of position in society bringing reduction in inequalities and functions as a means of improving their status within
the family. Our nation today is faced with challenges of increasing educated unemployment; weakening of student
motivation; increasing unrest and indiscipline on the campuses; frequent collapse of administration and
deterioration of standards. Literacy and educational levels are increasing for Indian youth still there is negligible
level of formal vocational training among young people in India as about 89 per cent of young people do not have
any kind of vocational training and among the rest about half have received it through hereditary practices.
Education implies not only gaining knowledge but also transforming that knowledge into application through
vocational training and skill development.

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 IJournals: International Journal of Social Relevance & Concern (IJSRC)
ISSN-2347-9698
Volume 3 Issue 8, August 2015
NFHS-3 (2005-06) shows that the gender parity index in primary education has gone up from 0.76 in 1990-91 to
1.01 in 2010-11 and in secondary education the increase is from 0.60 in 1990-91 to 0.87 in 2010-1. The retention
rate at primary level has gradually improved from 71.01% in 2005-06 to 75.94% in 2011-12. The Gross Enrolment
Ratio (GER) in higher education in India is a mere 11 per cent compared to China's 20 per cent implying that in
comparison to India, China has double the number of students pursuing higher education. Today, the female
literacy levels according to the Literacy Rate 2011 census are 65.46% where the male literacy rate is over 80%.
NGO initiatives and government ads, campaigns and programs are being held to spread awareness amongst people
about the importance of literacy. The government has made strict rules for female equality rights as well.
We need to emphasise on practical education system wherein students will be able to learn with all the modern
techniques and equipments available with greater stress on project works, seminar works, research paper
presentation works rather than just loaded with writing a lot of assignments which would make help in achieving
the goal of a true education system thereby reducing the number of school dropouts. Article 26 of the 1948
Declaration of Human Rights gives everyone the right to education, and further states that, Technical and
professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on
the basis of merit (United Nations, 1948). It points to continuing and unacceptable differentials in education by
residence and gender. In particular, it recognizes the need to address the great disparity in primary and higher
education between rural compared with urban areas, and for females compared with males. Contributing to low
educational access and attainment, particularly of girls, is the low age at first marriage. Although, the age at first
marriage has been increasing over time, a sizeable proportion of girls in India continue to be married at an age
when they should still be in school or completing their education. Another important element contributing to low
educational attainment is the mismatch between the numbers who need admission to quality higher level
educational institutions and the ability of available institutions to them in large numbers (NFHS). Fostering equal
access for all to the formal education system, especially in order to combat illiteracy is the key to empowering
youth.

2. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND YOUTH EMPOWERMENT

Information and Communication Technology are an important aspect of youth culture offering solutions to the
increasing youth participation in our nation thus promoting the social and economic development of India by
empowering enthusiastic and energetic youths. It is comprised of computers, networks, satellite communications,
robotics, cable television, electronic mail (“e-mail”), electronic games, and automated office equipments. The use
of computers and the Internet can aid youth by supporting communication and access to information, building
awareness among the youths, encourage decision making and dialogue between groups and support disadvantaged
people thereby building social capital and capacity building. Status barriers can be reduced, and online
communication with disenfranchised groups, such as women, people of colour, and those with disabilities, can be
promoted as well.

CHALLENGES
 Lack of access to information technology has remained a major challenge to today‟s youth. There is
therefore an urgent need for programmes to engage the youth and children in creative projects in which
they can channel their energies into constructive activities.
 Another challenge relates to our teaching pattern where technology courses are not part of their primary
and secondary school curriculum in their early stage of training, and it is at this time that these young
people are more likely to take interest in learning new technology. There is therefore the need to empower
them through information technology.
Young people are often the leading innovators in the use and spread of information technology and they quickly
adapt, and are generally hungry for great quantities of information, locally and globally which can be provided
through emerging information technologies. The young people who are born to ITs generation have focused their
knowledge, energy and their innovative ideas to make better use of online technology. They are the most important
group in the networked society of the information age. They have grown up with IT and with this ability they have
developed to become technology experts and entrepreneurs. The consequent empowerment of youth through
information technology knowledge and skills will serve as an end to poverty, crime, violence, youth
unemployment, etc. Most youth felt that computers increased their efficiency; gave them more control; increased
their participation in decision making to support empowerment; increased their social status; made information,
people, and materials more accessible; useful for storing their ideas, increased youth participation and
empowerment by stronger social networks- Newer technologies such as Web conferencing and instant messaging
have this potential and created a permanent record of their work.
Strategies for empowering youth through Information and Communication Technology includes:
 Promoting the inclusion of ICT in school curriculum.
 Incentivise private sector development of ICT infrastructure.

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 IJournals: International Journal of Social Relevance & Concern (IJSRC)
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 Train young people in the use of ICTs.
 Establish public tele-centres and other community programmes that provide access to ICTs.
 Encourage girls and women to make use of ICT through targeted programmes.

3. EMPOWERED YOUTH AS A CATALYST FOR POVERTY ERADICATION

Poverty is one of the most challenging and lasting problems of the world. In this regard, considering the young
generation and their important role as a catalyst in development can be very helpful to the success of poverty
eradication strategies; because, youths will shape the future of our nation. According to the 2011 Census, youth
account for 20 per cent of the total population. However, 84.5 million young people in India live below the poverty
line, which is the highest rate worldwide, at 44.2 per cent of the total youth population. There are 44 million Indian
youth who are undernourished, which constitutes 23 per cent of the youth population of India. Over one billion
people in the world today live in unacceptable conditions of poverty mostly in developing countries. Poverty has
various manifestations; hunger, ill health, limited or lack of access to education and other basic services. It is also
characterized by a lack of participation in decision making and in civil and socio-cultural life. Poverty is
inseparably linked to lack of access to or loss of control over resources. Without those resources, people have
limited access to institutions, markets, employment and public services. There is therefore need for specific
measures to address juvenilization of poverty. The empowement of youth through Information Technology will
reduce their poverty levels because it will provide education and skills training opportunities for self employment,
and enable them gain useful employment and also take care of their health problems.

4. SOCIAL EMPOWERMENT OF YOUTH

Proper nutrition, in the form of a balanced diet rich in nutrients, including iron, is the key to the health of youth.
Not only are malnourished youth unlikely to contribute to their full potential to the economic growth of the nation,
but their malnourishment can also threaten the health of the next generation. The nutritional status of youth is a
matter of prime concern as adolescent females face high rates of iron-deficiency anaemia. Another issue of grave
concern among youth is substance abuse. Drug use, smoking and irresponsible alcohol consumption are common
problems associated with youth. Substance abuse has many negative effects on the health of youth as well as on
their educational attainment and productivity -Third National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3).
Poor health is often caused by lack of information and lack of health services for the youth and problems resulting
from them are sexually transmitted diseases including infection with HIV, early pregnancies, lack of hygiene and
sanitation, mental diseases, drug abuse, unwanted risk-taking and destructive activities. The current generation of
young people is especially vulnerable to contracting and transmitting of AIDs due to lack of information, peer
pressure, inability to calculate risk. With IT, the youths are empowered to make informed choices, have greater
potential and opportunity to reduce the number of new infections.
Marriage and family formation: Too early an age at marriage can hinder healthy and responsible family life and
parenthood. It is recommended that marriage and family formation be initiated after the legal age at marriage, and,
preferably, after completion of education and the attainment of economic independence as early marriage not only
hinders the completion of education and the acquisition of marketable professional skills, but also pushes women
into motherhood at ages when their bodies are not mature enough to safely bear children. Although, in India the
legal minimum age at marriage for girls and boys is 18 years and 21 years, respectively, a sizeable proportion of
women and men marry at much younger ages.
Strategies
Under the social empowerment of youth steps needs to be taken to improve the health status of female youth,
reduce maternal mortality especially in the areas which do not have good medical facilities. Programmes need to be
launched for checking the spread of sexually transmitted diseases like HIV/AIDS and infections/ communicable
diseases like T.B. High risk of malnutrition requires special attention to meet the nutritional needs of women at all
stages of their life cycle. Awareness programmes need to be organised for creating awareness among youths
especially belonging to weaker sections about their rights. Government has to be vigilant for ensuring that there is
no discrimination against the girl child and her rights are protected. The stigmas in the society like child marriage,
female foeticide, child abuse and child prostitution must be eradicated immediately. The emerging trends in new
HIV cases in India shows that nearly two-fifths of new infections are reported among people below 25 years of age
(NACO, 2004).

5. EMPLOYMENT
Youth unemployment is the lack of job opportunities for people typically in the age group of 15-24 often caused by
a mismatch between Education and the requisite skills, high population rate and low level of economic growth, low
literacy rate and lack of awareness about new job policies, rigid labour laws, technological changes and global
crisis. Unemployment and underemployment among youth has worsened in recent years because of the global
recession which has affected developing countries most recently. Unemployment creates a wide range of social ills
and young people are particularly susceptible to its damaging effects chiefly lack of skills, low self-esteem,

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 IJournals: International Journal of Social Relevance & Concern (IJSRC)
ISSN-2347-9698
Volume 3 Issue 8, August 2015
marginalization, impoverishment and wasting of an enormous human resource. Their opportunities can be
increased through technology by training them in specific employment opportunities which is provided by the job
market resulting in successful job placement.
 Despite its demographic dividend and increased literacy levels, India faces youth unemployment as a
major challenge for labour market policy. Young job seekers make up 49 per cent of the total unemployed
in India.
 With 93 per cent of the available work provided by the informal sector, a significant number of well-
educated youth in India are either unemployed, underemployed, seeking employment or between jobs, or
coping with insecure work arrangements.
 India‟s main challenge regarding youth unemployment is the lack of any form of social security system, as
well as proper and adequate avenues for vocational training.
 In an environment of immense opportunities for economic growth, India requires more national as well as
international cooperation among different labour market actors (trade unions, vocational training
organisations, committees at the national level) to sustain it.
According to National Sample Service Organisation (NSSO) Surveys the average rate of employment growth from
1999–2000 to 2004–2005 was 2.66 per cent, while in the following five years (2000–2005 to 2009–2010), it was
only 0.83 per cent. Although there was a general decline in job creation, the biggest impact of the global financial
crisis and resultant meltdown of the Indian economy was felt by young people, especially females – female
employment experienced negative growth of –1.72 per cent. Furthermore, comparatively speaking, urban youth
employment registered the highest growth, at 1.92 per cent from 2004–2005 to 2009– 2010, as against 4.00 per
cent during 1999–2004. Incidentally, the majority of the youth population is located in rural India and working in
low productive agriculture and allied sectors.
As quoted in UN World Youth Report, 2003 (Youth Employment Network), the National youth policies relating
to employment should address the following:
 Employability: investing in education and vocational training of young people and elaborating strategies
to enhance the impact of these investments.
 Equal opportunities: giving young women the same opportunities as young men.
 Entrepreneurship: making it easier to start and run enterprises in order to provide more and better jobs
for young people.
 Employment creation: instead of focusing on the supply side of the labour market, governments should
increasingly put job creation at the centre of their macroeconomic policy.
 Provide for active participation of young people in programme design and implementation

6. POLITICAL EMPOWERMENT
It refers to the equitable representation of youth in decision-making structures, both formal and informal, and their
voice in the formulation of policies affecting the nation. Youth‟s participation in mainstream political activity has
important implications for the broader arena of governance in any country. An empowered youth stands to
empower the masses. Any youth who was empowered in his time of hardship will lead his people through the right
path. Youths who were empowered on leadership skill will do well in leadership positions and provides “first
class” rule to his nation because he has been trained on how to lead people. He applies what he learnt and makes
his governance acceptable to the citizens. The embezzlement of public funds by top governing officers no longer
takes place when youth are empowered on leadership skills. The availability of Right to Information is a powerful
tool in the hands of revolutionary young people.
It is next to impossible to find a young leader with no political family background in the future of politics because
young people are not given opportunities to prove themselves claiming that they are not equipped with experience
to participate actively in the governance of the country. Old leaders should realize that proper development can
take place only when they make way for younger people to take control of the activities.
There should also be some educational qualification for politicians. How can we give those illiterates the key to our
country? People with serious criminal background should not be allowed to contest elections. As for the youth of
our country, they can contribute in more ways than just contesting elections. Much can be done in areas like
educating people, raising awareness about various social ills, and many other areas. India has about 550 million
youth and about 200 of them are registered electorates. During the last six decades, India has witnessed a sea
change in both quality and quantity of operations in the election process. The voting process has moved from the
balloting system to marking system and then gradually to the present system based on electronic voting machines.
Printed electoral roles have now been substituted by computerized photo electoral roles.
Citizenship education and consultation programmes are encouraged for young men and women to participate in
political leadership at various levels of government:-
 Encourage young people to register to vote.
 Review the voting age and consider whether it should be lowered to enfranchise greater numbers of young
people.

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 Provide training for young people in good governance, human rights and democratic practice.
 Involve young people in the monitoring and implementation of human rights instruments, and free and fair
elections.
 Promote the practice of such positive values as equality, tolerance, cooperation and respect for diversity.
 Take steps to ensure the rights of young people are upheld by the criminal justice system.

7. ENCOURAGING YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Encouraging Indian youths to become “Entrepreneurs” can turn job seekers into job providers thus helping in
creating sustainable employment opportunities. The major hurdles which restrict entrepreneurship among youths
are lack of motivation programs for parents to promote entrepreneurship and lack of orientation programs for
teachers to educate the teachers on youth entrepreneurship education needs.
Promoting Entrepreneurship among youths involves:-
 Transforming educational system: Embedding entrepreneurship and innovation, cross disciplinary
approaches and interactive teaching methods.
 Mentorship program: Collaborate with corporate and successful entrepreneurs to mentor individuals
and help them convert their ideas into real products/ services.
 Build policy commitment: Policies should send a strong signal of support for entrepreneurship and
also set the strategic framework in which school and universities can work to implement programs
and activities within their institutions.

8. PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT

“The creativity, ideals and courage of the youth of the world should be mobilized to forge a global partnership in
order to achieve sustainable development and ensure a better future for all.” – Agenda 21, 1992. The involvement
of today's youth in environment and development decision-making and in the implementation of programmes is
critical to the long-term success of Agenda 21.The technological improvements have led to creation of unhealthy
environment through emissions from vehicles, irritating noise, traffic congestion and radiation hazards. Human
beings are a great threat to themselves as well to our nature so there is a growing need to integrate environmental
education into the country‟s programmes.
The Recommendations for Protecting the Environment are:
 Engage young people in creating awareness on climate change and other pressing environmental issues.
 Tap the knowledge base of young people and their grassroots organisations as part of environmental
monitoring and scientific data gathering.
 Engage young people in technology transfer and uptake issues, including for example youth
participation in “citizens‟ juries.”
 Train young people in natural disaster preparedness and relief.
 Stimulate ethical consumerism among young people as an entry point to environmental awareness.
 Mainstream environmental education as an integral part of school curriculum.

CONCLUSION
„Young people in all countries are both a major human resource for development and key agents for social change,
economic development and technological innovation. Their imagination, ideals, considerable energies and vision
are essential for the continuing development of the societies in which they live. The problems that young people
face as well as their vision and aspiration are essential components of the challenges and prospects of today‟s
societies and future generations‟.(World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond, United
Nations, 1995).
Young people can only devote themselves to active youth participation and full integration in society when they
find such „enabling‟ environments for the fulfilment of their civic potential and when their actual needs and
conditions are met. Comprehensive national youth policies that foster this „enabling‟ condition and ensure the full
rights of youth as members of society, are in many countries among the most recent types of public policy. There is
a high potential for cooperation in this field, particularly through networking of both governmental and non-
governmental youth organisations on a regional and international scale. Furthermore, various international agencies
assist with the formulation of national youth policies and action plans. Women Empowerment has become one of
the most important Concerns of 21st century at both the national and the international levels. The Govt. are making
efforts to ensure Gender equality but the society must take initiative to create a climate in which there is no gender
discrimination and women are provided full opportunities of self decision making and participating in the Social,
Political and Economic life of the Country with a sense of equality. The rural-urban drift caused by improper
balance of economic and social opportunities such as unavailability of social amenities like good roads, hospitals,
schools, opportunity for advancement, proper health care between the rural and urban areas has lead to the eruption
of many problems both in the rural and urban areas. Especially unemployment opportunities for youths in the forms

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 IJournals: International Journal of Social Relevance & Concern (IJSRC)
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of provision of basic amenities, improvement in the quality of education, creation of credit and loan schemes,
industrial modernization, entrepreneurship training, access to productive resources, and cooperatives be put in
place to reduce rural urban drift by youths. Education also brings a reduction in inequalities and functions as a
means of improving their status within the family. To encourage the education of women at all levels and for
dilution of gender bias in providing knowledge and education, established schools, colleges and universities even
exclusively for women in the state. To bring more girls, especially from marginalized families of BPL, in
mainstream education, the government is providing a package of concessions in the form of providing free books,
uniform, boarding and lodging, clothing for the hostilities midday meals, scholarships, free circles and so on.

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