The Karnataka Youth Policy envisages for all-round development of youth and to empower them to bring about constructive societal change

• R Balasubramaniam, chairman of the State Committee on Youth Policy, on submitted a draft of the Karnataka Youth Policy (KYP) 2022, to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
• The focus areas of the policy include education and training, employment and entrepreneurship, health and well-being, sports and fitness, arts and culture, value-based leadership development, restructuring the department, yuva budget, youth advisory group, and three C’s approach — fostering coordination, cooperation, and collaboration — to ensure convergence; and establishing a state-level convergence committee for youth empowerment.

Inclusive policy

The policy is implicitly inclusive and ensures that social, economic and environmental realities guide its implementation.

• Those in the age group of 15 to 29 years constitute about 30% of the State’s population.The policy would recommend restructuring of the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports, the creation of a Yuva Budget, and the formation of a youth advisory group.

Tracking expenditure

• A decade has passed since the adoption of the Karnataka Youth Policy in 2012. Currently, there is no mechanism for tracking expenditure incurred by various departments on implementation of schemes for development of youth.
• The policy, which would be formulated in alignment with other existing policies, would suggest a system to track expenditure of departments on youth schemes to ensure effective utilization of resources,
• At present, the government was largely focusing on sports and youth involved in sports. The new policy would recommend establishment of separate ministries or directorates for youth empowerment and sports.

Yuva budget

• On the lines of gender budget, the policy would suggest adoption of a yuva budget for undertaking programmes for youth. The policy would propose a monitoring and evaluation committee for the creation of a Karnataka Youth Development Index and a structured three-tier review system, largely focusing at the State and district level.
• The policy would be formulated in the background of new challenges posed by technological progress and health crises such as COVID-19, to rethink the State’s approach to youth development.
• Mental and physical well-being of the State’s youth would also be given priority, the draft of the policy said. In alignment with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the KYP, 2022, would be operational for a period of eight years until 2030.

Focus on women

• With a whopping 82% of females in the age group of 21-30 years not participating in the labor force in 2018 against 14% males in the same age group, the policy would also focus on education, training, employment and entrepreneurship of the female labor force.

• The policy is being formulated after consultation with youth leaders at the district level, and professionals in various fields. Over 14,000 youth provided opinions on various issues ranging from education to leadership.