Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Youth budget, a key component of state youth policy, is yet to be implemented. The budget was supposed to detail allocations for different schemes and programmes run by all the departments of the state government meant for youths’ welfare in the fields of education, employment, health, skill upgradation, capacity building and sports.
The youth policy was launched by the then chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on March 23, 2023, at Yuva Mahapanchayat in Bhopal. “Youth budget was a revolutionary initiative. No other state has it. It would have contributed a great deal to the development and well-being of youths in the state.
Unfortunately, it is yet to become a reality,” says National Youth Award recipient Vimal Jat. As part of the youth policy, the government had instituted Rajya Vivekananda award for youths (15-29 years) for doing exemplary work in different fields. It was to be presented on Vivekananda Jayanti (January 12) every year.
The first award was presented on March 23, 2023. It was not presented in 2024 and nominations have not been invited for 2025. Former Nehru Yuva Kendra director Surendra Shukla who was a member of the jury that selected the awardees in 2023, said such awards would inspire youths to work for wider causes.
“I don’t know why it has been discontinued,” he added. Another key initiative for the youths, youth portal, launched by the department of sports and youth welfare is also shut. The portal had information about all schemes and programmes for youths. A youth had to just list his or her age and educational qualifications and it would list all the schemes for which he or she was eligible. Sources said portal was shut down by agency that was maintaining it for want of payment.
In fact, most components of youth policy have either not been implemented or have been discontinued. Youth Commission constituted under the policy no longer exists as all its members have completed their term. District-level youth resource centres and youth advisory council are yet to be constituted. There has been zero implementation of Youth Policy, Vimal said. The Sports and Youth Welfare is the nodal department for the implementation of Madhya Pradesh Youth Policy.
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I will have to find out whether there was a provision for youth budget in the youth policy. As for Vivekananda Award, I will look into the matter.
-Balu Yadav, joint director, sports and youth welfare dept
