Union Cabinet approves 'Mera Yuva Bharat'; platform to empower youth to become catalysts for community transformation

New Delhi [India], October 11 : The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved establishing an autonomous body 'Mera Yuva Bharat' (MY Bharat) which will create a physical and digital eco-system to empower youth to become catalysts for community transformation.
The new technology-led platform will enable the government to engage with the youth to actualise their aspirations for India's progress in the march to make the country a developed nation by 2047.
Briefing the media after a meeting of the union cabinet, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said the platform will serve as an overarching enabling mechanism powered by technology for youth development and youth-led development.
It will provide equitable access to youth and build "Viksit Bharat" across the entire spectrum of the Government and bring various stakeholders together, he said.
The cabinet meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat) will be launched on October 31, the birth anniversary of Saradar Vallabhbhai Patel, which is observed as National Unity Day.
The Minister said MY Bharat will provide youth with experiential learning and consolidate their role in nation-building in the spirit of volunteerism. The platform can be used by youth both within the country and outside.
MY Bharat 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 the case of programme components specifically meant for adolescents, the beneficiaries will be in the age group of 10-19 years.
The new initiative will help in setting the focus of the government on youth-led development and make youth "active drivers" of development and not merely "passive recipients," an official release said.
Mera Yuva Bharat will be a whole of Government platform for youth development. The platform will enable the youth to become "community change agents and nation builders" allowing them to act as "Yuva Setu" between the government and the citizens.
It seeks to harness the immense energy of youth for nation building.
The release said establishment of MY Bharat will lead to leadership development in the youth, improve the leadership skills through experiential learning by shifting from isolated physical interaction to programmatic skills and invest more in youth to make them social innovators and leaders in the communities.
There will be better alignment between youth aspirations and community needs and enhanced efficiency through convergence of existing programmes.
The platform will "act as a one-stop shop for young people and ministries" and create a centralized youth database.
The release said it will improve two-way communication to connect youth government initiatives and activities of other stakeholders that engage with youth.
The ecosystem will help ensure accessibility.
The release said India's youth are to play a critical role in defining the future of the nation, especially at the pivotal juncture of India's 75 years of independence as the country embarks on a development journey over the next 25 years for building 'Amrit Bharat' by 2047.
Vision 2047 requires a framework that can bring "rural youth, urban youth and rurban youth under a single platform".
The existing schemes of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports were designed and launched at different points in time over the last 50 years with the then prevailing understanding of the needs of rural youth in the society.
The release said that dynamic shifts in the urban-rural landscape have necessitated a re-evaluation of these approaches.
"It is imperative to create a framework that unites rural, urban, and rurban youth on a common platform. Mera Yuva Bharat can help to create such a framework," it said.
"In today's fast-paced world, characterized by rapid communication, the prevalence of social media, the emergence of new digital tools and cutting-edge technologies, a technology driven platform can connect youth to programmes that can help them improve their capabilities and also connect them with community activities," it added.
The release said Mera Yuva Bharat platform will "create such a phygital eco-system" and empower young individuals to become catalysts for community transformation.
"They would act as 'Yuva Setu' linking the government with its citizens," it said.
Recently, a web portal of the Department of Youth Affairs, yuva.gov.in, hosted a nation-wide programme 'Meri Maati Mera Desh' in which 50 million young people participated and helped to plant 23 million saplings to create Amrit Vatikas across the country.
"Mera Yuva Bharat would help to create and sustain such a phygital eco-system that connects millions of young people in a network seamlessly," the release said.
Mera Yuva Bharat will help to increase the Youth outreach efforts of the Department of Youth Affairs.