Co-opt youth into policy-making

The massive protest rally in Delhi on July 20 against maladministration in the examination system in India was beyond doubt a huge success. The only two similar mass demonstrations in the recent past were the one in 2012 against the gang rape and murder of Nirbhaya and, two years later, against rampant corruption in central government projects. All three yielded results: enactment of landmark laws to ensure the security of women, the defeat of the UPA-led government, and the resignation of the Union education minister.

A few commonalities run through all three. First, the role of social media; though back in 2012 it was primarily Facebook and Twitter, years later it is Instagram. Secondly, though the targets were the UPA government then, and the BJP government now, all three demonstrated deep frustration against an entrenched, corrupt system. Thirdly, and most significantly: all three were driven by youth. Social media , where anyone with access to the Internet can voice their views, has over the past two decades become a mouthpiece, as it were, of democracy.

And that voice is increasingly of the youth. This is hardly surprising, considering that as many as 65% of the Indian population, around 80 crore, is below the age of 35, making our country one of the youngest in the world with a median age of 29 years. We are still beset by issues like corruption, exam irregularities, price rise, and unemployment because the root causes have never been addressed.

Though we see cases of youth taking initiatives, be it in the startup sphere or in social engagements, they often stumble over anachronistic policies framed by a previous generation. The way our public and governance policies are framed has to change. The youth must be given a greater say. Instead of lecturing them on what to do and what not, they should be co-opted into shaping policies.

Avenues must be provided so that reactive protests are transformed into proactive policy reforms. Thus, they will be engaged proactively in nation-building rather than remaining alienated from the political process. Giving them a genuine stake in governance is an administrative necessity.