Mera Yuva Bharat

Context: Union Cabinet has approved the creation of an autonomous body, Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat) to serve as an overarching enabling mechanism powered by technology for youth development and youth-led-development and provide equitable access to youth to actualise their aspirations and build Viksit Bharat across the entire spectrum of Government.

About Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat)

• MY Bharat is an autonomous body which 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 case of program components, specifically meant for adolescents, the beneficiaries will be in the age group of 10-19 years.
• MY Bharat will help in setting the focus of Government on Youth led development and make youth ‘active drivers’ of development and not merely ‘passive recipients’.
• It will function under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and will be launched on National Unity Day on 31st October 2023.
• Mera Yuva Bharat supported by a technology platform would help to increase the Youth outreach efforts of the Department of Youth Affairs

Objective of Mera Yuva Bharat

Primary objective of Mera Yuva Bharat is to make it a whole of Government platform for youth development.

Under the new arrangement, with access to resources & connection to opportunities, youth would become community change agents and nation builders allowing them to act as Yuva Setu between Government and citizens.

(a) Leadership development in the youth

• Improve 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 Government on Youth Led development and to make the Youth active drivers of development and not merely ‘passive recipients’.

(b) Better alignment between youth aspirations and community needs

(c) Enhanced efficiency through Convergence of existing programmes.

(d) Act as one stop shop for young people and ministries.

(e) Create a centralised youth data base.

(f) Improved two-way communication to connect youth government initiatives and activities of other stakeholder that engage with youth.

(g) Ensuring accessibility by creating a phygital ecosystem: 

Need for Mera Yuva Bharat

• India’s youth are to play a defining role building India as developed country under Vision 2047. This 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. 
• Need to establish a new contemporary technology led platform for Government to engage with present day youth: A technology driven platform can connect youth to programs that can help them improve their capabilities and connect them with community activities.
• Ensuring accessibility by creating a phygital ecosystem: Mera Yuva Bharat would help to create and sustain such a phygital eco-system that connects millions of young people in a network seamlessly.