1. Introduction
Youth constitute the most creative segment of any society. They constitute about 34% of the total population of India. The United Nations had declared 1985 as the International Youth Year to enable the governments to focus their attention on the promotion of the welfare of the youth in their respective countries.
Government of India and States and Union Territories observe 12 January every year as the Youth Day which is the Birthday of Swami Vivekanand. The week January 12 to January 18, is called Youth Week.
The Government of India realizing the gravity of growing urban youth unrest set up National Advisory Board on Youth in 1969.
The Government has come up with various programmes to channelize the anger of the youth into creative social activities and services.
2. Youth Services
(a) National youth Policy
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It was formulated in 1988. The main objectives of the Youth Policy are to install in the youth respect for the principles and values enshrined in our Constitution; to promote an awareness of our historical heritage; to help develop the qualities of discipline, self-reliance, justice and fair play; and to provide them access to education in addition to developing their personality.
(b) National Service Scheme
NSS was launched in Gandhiji’s Birth Century Year 1969 in 37 universities involving students with primary focus on the development of personality of students through community service. It has 2 types of programmes viz. “Regular Activities” and “Special Camping Programme” undertaken by its volunteers.
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(c) Nehru Yuva Kendra Sanghathan
It is an autonomous organization of the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports. Regular programmes of NYKS are: Youth Club Development Programmes, Vocation Training Programmes, Awareness campaign, Work Camp, Celebration of National Youth Day and Youth Week, Sports Promotion Programmes and Cultural Programmes.
In collaboration with Department of Women and Child Development, Government of India, NYKS is implementing a project entitled Mahila Samridhi Yojana in 40 districts of the country. NYKS in collaboration with NACO (National AIDS Control Organization) has taken up AIDS campaign in 45 districts of North-Eastern States. NYKS also implements the following schemes of the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports: (a) Youth Development Centres; (b) Financial Assistance to. Youth Clubs; (c) National Service Volunteer Scheme
(d) National Service volunteer scheme
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The NSVS launched in 1977-78 aims at providing opportunities to youth to involve themselves, on a voluntary basis, in nation building activities for a year or two.
(e) Training of youth
This scheme is being implemented through the voluntary organizations, Nehru Yuva Kendras, NSS regional centres, educational institutions and State governments/UT administrations. The training covers a wide range of disciplines like agriculture, animal husbandry, dairy, poultry etc.
(f) Financial Assistance to Voluntary Organizations
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The scheme provides financial assistance to voluntary organizations to involve youth for developmental activities especially in rural areas.
(g) Promotion of Activities among Tribal Youth
In order to promote youth activities among the youth of backward tribes a special scheme was started during 1990-91.
(h) Exhibitions for Youth
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The scheme aims at: (a) projecting and recognizing the activities and contribution made by youth in the field of national development; (b) promoting the spirit of secularism and national integration; (c) exhibition of tribal art and culture and (d) enabling youth to interact with youth of other part of the nation.
(i) Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development
It was set up at Sriperumbudur (Tamil Nadu) which functions as an autonomous body for coordinating and monitoring youth related activities in the country…
(j) Scouting and Guiding
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It is the 3rd largest youth organization in the world which aims at developing the moral and physical character of boys and girls.
(k) Promotion of Adventure
This scheme aims at fostering in youth the spirit of risk-taking, endurance, cooperative team work and encouraging quick, ready and effective reflexes in challenging situations.
(1) Promotion of National Integration
This scheme aims at providing financial assistance for a variety of youth programmes aimed at national integration and communal harmony.
(m) National youth Festival
The construction of Youth Hostels has been conceived as a joint venture of the Central and state governments.
(n) Assistance to Youth Clubs
The scheme of assistance to Youth Clubs was started in 1986-87 and was implemented through NYK Sanghathan and State governments/UTs administrations for assisting newly set up Youth Clubs. The scheme of assistance to Sports Clubs/Centres has been merged with the scheme of assistance to Youth Clubs and is known as ‘Scheme of Assistance to Rural Youth and Sports Clubs’.
(o) Youth Development Centres
In order to promote participation of rural youth in development activities a new scheme for setting up of Youth Development Centres for a group of 10 villages each was introduced during 1994-95. This scheme is being implemented through the NYK Sanghathan.
(p) Award to Outstanding Youth Clubs
With a view to recognizing the contribution of Youth Clubs and motivating them for more active participation in the nation-building endeavour, this scheme was introduced during 1992-93. It is being implemented through the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sanghathan.
3. Five-Year Plan
Harnessing Yuva-Shakti
The National Agenda for Governance states: “Our youth are the strength of the family, village, locality and the community. They are also the future of our nation. We will take all necessary steps to mobilize this most idealistic, inspired and energetic section of our society in the mission of nation-building.
For this purpose, we shall build national consensus for the creation of a National Reconstruction Corps aimed at environmental protection, ecological tasks, reclamation of waste land, including afforestation, and for spreading literacy. We will have a time-bound programme for promotion of sports.”
A new scheme of National Reconstruction Corps (NRC) will be formulated aiming at environmental protection, ecological tasks, reclamation of waste land, including afforestation, spreading literacy and other community based nation building activities.
4. Sports
Youth signifies not only freshness but boundless energy. This energy can be transformed into creativity through sports. Physical education, games, sports and yoga in educational institutions were promoted right from the beginning of the planning era.
During the Second Five Year Plan, National College of Physical Education and National Institute of Sports were established. On the basis of the National Sports Policy framed during the Seventh Five Year Plan, an action plan was formulated in 1992.
5. National Sports Policy
The Policy resolution is based on a time-bound programme to provide infrastructure of sports and physical education in villages and towns and provide appropriate equipments to sports persons.
6. Organisations
(a) Sports Authority of India (SAI)
It was established by Government of India in January 1984 to ensure effective maintenance and optimum utilization of the various sports infrastructure. In order to have only one government agency at the apex for the promotion of sports, the Society for National Institute of
Physical Education and Sports (SNIPES) was merged with SAI with effect from 1 May, 1987.
(b) Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education
This Institute in Gwalior was earlier known as Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education was established by the Government of India on 17 August 1957, the centenary year of War of Independence. It has been delinked from the SAI and is registered under Societies Registration Act, 1973. The Institute has been declared as deemed to be university in the field of physical education.
(c) Grants for Creation of Sports Infrastructure
Mostly, financial assistance is given on a sharing basis of 50:50 between the Centre and the sponsoring agency, subject to specified limits, through concerned states/UTs. For hilly tribal areas, the Central contribution is 75% subject to a maximum of certain specified ceiling. Scope of this scheme has since been enlarged to assist the state governments in creation of State level Sport complexes and Sports Project Development Area (SPDA).
(d) Grants for Synthetic Tracks/Artificial Surfaces
The Central Government was giving grants for laying of synthetic tracks and artificial surfaces for hockey and other synthetic surfaces for volley-ball, basket-ball, tennis etc.
(e) Promotion of Sports in the University Sector
A scheme of grants for Promotion of Sports in Universities/Colleges was revised with effect from 22 June, 1998. The University winning first position in Inter-University Tournaments will be awarded Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy by the President of India, besides a cash incentive of Rs. 1 lakh.
(f) National Sports Festival Far Women
It was launched in 1970-71 and has culminated in Sports Scholarship Scheme 1997. National level, State-level and University/College level Scholarships at the rate of Rs.600, Rs 450 and Rs 750 per month respectively are given under the scheme.
(g) Assistance to Promising Sports Persons
An ongoing scheme has been revised to provide assistance to promising sports persons.
7. Awards
Arjuna Award was instituted in 1961 as the highest national recognition conferred on distinguished sports persons. Dronacharya Awards, instituted In 1985, are given to coaches who have trained sports persons or teams making outstanding achievements in the year for which the award is given and consistently have very good achievements to their credit for three preceding years. It comprises a statuette, a scroll, ceremonial dress and a tie in addition to a cash prize of Rs 75,000.
8. Grants to National Sports Federations
The Department gives financial assistance to 59 recognized National Sports Federations for conducting National Sports Championship at sub-junior, junior and senior- level at the rate of Rs 3 lakh, Rs. 2 lakh, and Rs. 1 lakh respectively.
9. Incentives for Promotion of Sports Activities
1. Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award is a scheme under which an amount of Rs 1 lakh is given as award to the most spectacular and outstanding performance in the field of sports. Sachin Tendulkar was given this award for 1997-98.
2. Special Awards to Medal Winners in International Sports Events and their Coaches: To attract the young generation to take sports as a career and to encourage the outstanding sports persons for even higher achievements, special awards to medal winner; of international sports events and their coaches were introduced in 1986. The amount of awards has recently bee n revised which ranges from Rs 15 lakh to Rs. 75 lakh.
3. Pension to Meritorious Sports Person: It was launched in 1994 and is given to winners of medals in Olympic, World Cup and World Championship and Gold Medal in Asian and Commonwealth Games.
4. Promotion of Sports in Schools: Launched in 1986 for organizing State level tournament the State governments are given Rs. 2 lakh while for Inter-School Tournaments they get Rs. 50,000 for one district.
National Welfare Fund for Sports Person
It was created in 1982 to help sports person of yester year.
Rural Sports Programme
It was launched in 1970-71 and is operated by SAI.
United Nations Volunteer Scheme
UNV is a UNDP scheme to accelerate the development of under developed countries by providing skilled manpower of developed/developing countries at low costs. India contributes to the Special Voluntary Fund of UNDP. December 5, is celebrated as International Volunteers Day.
National Sports Development Fund
It has been set to mobilize financial resources from Government, Corporate and Private sector as well as individuals for promotion of sports. The Department has contributed Rs. 2 crore during 1998-99 and also made a provision of Rs. 2 crore during 1999-2000.
10. Sport and Five-Year Plan
It is proposed to set up sport schools by suitably adopting the Navodya Vidyalaya Pattern in different States. National Sports Development Fund will be created under IX-Plan. State Government will take ‘additive provision’ for ‘sports’. NGOs will be called up for promoting Sports and youth activities.
The State government will be requested to implement the recommendations of the Central Advisory Board on Education to make Sports and Physical Education compulsory subject in Education. A National Programme of Physical Fitness in schools will be taken up. North Eastern
Regions will be given special facilities for promotion of sports. A regional agency under the aegis of NEC will fund, monitor and coordinate sports and youth programme in the region.