By Pranshu Badoni
It is high time to equip the youth of Uttarakhand with tools and opportunities that bring equity to the masses. Youths are the cornerstone of every country, as they decide the future trajectory of the economy and society. But it is important to know whom we should consider a youth.
Looking at the international definition, there is no consensus on the youth’s age criteria.
However, in India, according to the National Youth Policy 2014, persons between the age group of 15 and 29 years are considered youth. There are initiatives, for example, stand-up India, startup India, National Service Scheme (NSS), Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, and many others taken by the government of India to contribute to the youth in nation building.
Let us compare India with other well-to-do countries like Germany, Ireland, Singapore, and China which were able to reap the maximum benefit which not only helped them to grow their GDP but also made the whole society better off. These benefits that were fetched by these countries were coupled with quality education, health, skill-oriented programs, and robust labour securities laws. A similar trajectory has now been captured in India which was in China during the 1980s. Therefore, India must optimize its demographic dividend, as the IMF projects it has the potential to contribute an additional 2 percent to per capita GDP growth annually for the next 20 years.
As states are the pearls and the central government serves as the thread binding them together in a shared commitment to India’s growth, Uttarakhand, as a progressive hill state needs to capture the potential and aspirations of its youth by equipping them with better facilities and opportunities. This will not only enhance the state’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) but also strengthen India’s overall Gross Domestic Product (GDP), showcasing the harmonious synergy of collective progress.
Aspiration and challenges
According to the Youth Survey of Uttarakhand 2012-13, most young people aspire to pursue careers in three major sectors: the social sector, the education sector, and the army/security sector. However, it is worth noting that these sectors have a limited absorption capacity. The survey indicates that the majority of youth prefer the social sector, followed by the education sector. This explains why many young people are inclined to prepare for government examinations. Their preference for the education sector suggests that the youth of Uttarakhand associate education with employment opportunities.
It is an affirmative trend to note from the survey that both males and females are showing a high degree of aspiration across all sectors, especially in education. Therefore, a prominent question to ask is whether they are getting a quality education or are being deprived of it. However, there are districts like Rudraprayag with a high correlation between training and employment. According to the 2011 census, 87% of the area is in hilly terrain and most of the population which is around 70% resides in the remote areas of Uttarakhand. This comes with challenges as well as opportunities that nature has provided to the people of the state.
It is evident from the youth survey of Uttarakhand that both men and women across all districts of Uttarakhand aspire to high-income jobs, particularly in education-related and social-sector professions. This trend highlights the need to broaden the mindset of the youth, encouraging them to explore opportunities in startups, technological fields, commercial and social fields like urban planning, public health, environment sustainability, public policy, etc.
Since there is a high aspiration among the youth for education, the majority of them, after completing their secondary level, aim to pursue further studies in urban areas such as Dehradun for the Garhwal region and Haldwani for the Kumaon region. This is primarily due to the lack of quality education and growth opportunities in rural areas, as well as the unavailability of coaching institutes needed to prepare for government examinations. Consequently, the survey indicates that 46% and 40% of the youth in Uttarakhand face challenges in balancing their studies and livelihood simultaneously.
Through various empirical research, it is established that there is a linkage between an individual’s health and education. Moreover, in our Indian constitution, under Article 21, it is mentioned that good health is an integral part of the right to life. Considering the survey and youth’s aspiration health is recognised as a crucial aspect of overall development. However, the youth perceive health as primarily an individual responsibility rather than that of the state. This perspective may stem from the fact that many youths aspire to the professions requiring physical fitness such as Army, police, and security-related jobs.
Health is often directly associated with the level of physical activity performed daily. Looking at the broader picture, while health infrastructure is available in remote areas of Uttarakhand, for advanced or specialized treatment people come to cities like Dehradun, Rishikesh, Haldwani, or even to New Delhi. This situation underscores the urgent need for establishing well-equipped hospitals in strategically located zones of Uttarakhand ensuring better connectivity via roads or other transportation system. Such initiatives will improve access to quality health care and reduce dependency on urban centres for medical needs, benefiting residents across the state.
Matthew Effect
Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outlier, introduces the concept of the Matthew Effect, which highlights how small initial advantages can compound over time, leading to disproportionately large outcomes. In the context of success, those who start with slight advantages or better opportunities are more likely to accumulate additional benefits. Similarly, a father’s occupation often influences the opportunities available to their children and the career paths they are likely to pursue.
The data from the youth survey of Uttarakhand shows that most of them are employed in agriculture and government services. It is also noticeable that a tiny percentage are employed in the private and business sectors. This reveals that a huge amount of the youth having service and agriculture as their family background would be risk-averse to take initiatives for self-employment. To absorb the potential of these youths’ skill-oriented, mindsets need to be
developed through policy intervention via state-led initiatives.
An analysis of the correlation between a father’s occupation and the challenges faced by the youth in Uttarakhand reveals that, regardless of the father’s occupational background, access to quality education remains a significant challenge for the youth in the state. Additionally, youths from agricultural backgrounds face greater livelihood challenges compared to those from other occupational backgrounds. This highlights the pressing need for targeted interventions and support to address the specific needs of youth in agricultural families, ensuring they have better opportunities and pathways to overcome socioeconomic barriers.
During the development phase, it is noticeable that people tend to shift from the agricultural sector to other sectors. However, due to inefficiency and a lack of market-driven skills and
training, many youths face limited employment opportunities that can provide a stable income.
Therefore, a flexible and pragmatic approach is needed to create synergy and effectively address this transition.
Required Policy Intervention
According to the Uttarakhand youth survey 2012-13, very few youths are inclined toward holistic development. Therefore, it is imperative to include extra-curricular activities, especially during their graduation so that they can learn and enhance their skill according to the demand of the market. This will lessen their burden to find a job even after having a 2-3 years’ gap due to their own personal preferences.
Under the Ek Bharat Sreshtha Bharat initiative, inter semester programs should be given a boost, this will help them to bring confidence and develop diverse perspectives that could help them shape their future and explore various opportunities. This will also help them to be more
adaptable to different cultures and know the rich heritage of India.
Every district must have quality schools and colleges that will not only prepare them for market-driven skills but also equip them to crack exams like CUET, NDA, UPSC, CDS, etc.
This module can be done by hiring a specialised teacher who will provide guidance and strategy to students.
Our social environment plays a crucial role in shaping our personalities. In Indian households, creating a conducive environment for studying can often be challenging. To address this, it is essential to provide spaces where students can access a supportive learning environment around the clock to enhance their intellectual potential. Public libraries are an excellent solution for fostering such an atmosphere. A similar model has already been successfully implemented in Kerala and initiatives like Didi ki Library in Bihar are helping youths to work for their aspirations.
As we mentioned earlier, this may also be one of the reasons that push the youth of Uttarakhand to aspire to take the government services examination. Since the absorption capacity is low, this inclination of the youths for social services can be captured by bringing specialized courses like BBA/MBA in social entrepreneurship. This will not only bring them out from the race of seeking employment but make them capable of generating employment. This transition from job seeker to job creator will ensure that Pahad ki Jawani and Pahad ka Pani are now becoming useful for their state.
As per the survey of Uttarakhand, 62,000 SHGs are working in this state. This powerful resource can be used to transform the rural areas of Uttarakhand. Proper training in the fields of finance, health, and education can be given to generate awareness about parenting and implementing policies of both central and state.
Conclusion
The survey also reveals that youths residing in the hilly terrain of Uttarakhand are willing to work and seek livelihood opportunities within the region. However, due to a lack of opportunities and inadequate income, many are moving to metro and tier-2 cities. Although Uttarakhand, as a tourist state, has potential opportunities, establishing large industries is not feasible due to the ecological sensitivity of the Young Fold Mountains, which are still in formation.
To address this challenge while meeting the aspirations of the youth, it is crucial to promote social and ecological entrepreneurship. Educational institutions, both in the government and private sectors, must play a significant role in fostering these skills and supporting sustainable development in the region.
(Pranshu Badoni is a Public Policy Professional currently working with the Government of Uttarakhand)
