The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the establishment of an autonomous body Mera Yuva Bharat (My Bharat) to serve as an overarching enabling mechanism for youth development and youth-led development.

Briefing newspersons on the initiative, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said Mera Yuva Bharat will be powered by technology and provide equitable access to youth to actualise their aspirations and build Viksit Bharat.

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The primary objective of Mera Yuva Bharat, he said would be to make it a whole of government platform for youth development.  Under the new arrangement, with access to resources and connection to opportunities, the youth will become agents of community change and nation builders, allowing them to act as the Yuva Setu between the government and the citizens. It will harness the immense youth energy for nation-building.

Mera Yuva 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 case of programme components specifically meant for adolescents, the beneficiaries will be in the age-group of 10-19 years, who are 40 crore in the country.

The establishment of Mera Yuva Bharat will lead to leadership development in youth and improve leadership skills through experiential learning by shifting from isolated physical interaction to programmatic skills.

There will be greater investment in youth to make them social innovators and leaders in the communities. The government’s focus will be on youth-led development and make the youth “active drivers” of development, not just “passive recipients”. There will be better alignment between youth aspirations and community needs.

The organisation will allow enhanced efficiency through convergence of existing programmes and act as a one-stop shop for young people and ministries. It will create a centralised youth data base. There will be improved two-way communication to connect youth-government initiatives and activities of other stakeholders that engage with youth. Accessibility will be ensured by creating a physical ecosystem.

Giving the background of the decision, the minister said the objective behind establishing the overarching enabling mechanism in the form of a new autonomous body was to engage youth and their empowerment, guided by the principles of the ‘whole of government approach’, in a rapidly changing world with high-velocity communications, social media, new digital opportunities, and emergent technologies.