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Empowering Youth- Transforming India (Amrit Peedhi for Viksit Bharat @ 2047) (UPSC/RAS/PSI)

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  • Demographic Overview Demographic Context- Nearly 65% of India's population is under 35 years of age.
  • Core Vision- Shift youth policy orientation from access to opportunity, participation to leadership, and beneficiaries to co-creators to realize Viksit Bharat @ 2047.

Youth Engagement & Civic Participation

  1. MY Bharat (Mera Yuva Bharat)-
  1. Launched in October 2023 for youth aged 15–29 as a unified single-window platform for volunteering, skilling, experiential learning, and career support.
  2. Registered users- Over 2.22 crore (as of July 2026).
  3. Opportunities created- 1.52+ lakh volunteering roles and 24,900+ experiential learning programmes.
  1. Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2026-
  1. Engaged 50+ lakh youth via nationwide competitions/quizzes.
  2. Included 78 diaspora youth across 21 nations; created a repository of 6,000 district-level young leaders.
  1. National Service Scheme (NSS)- Volunteer enrolment expanded from 34.09 lakh (2014–15) to 38.90 lakh (2025–26).

Education & Digital Infrastructure (NEP 2020 Focus)

1)    School Education Landscape-

  1. System scale- 14.67 lakh schools, 24.72 crore students, and 1.02 crore teachers.
  2. Retention- Secondary school dropout rate reduced from 14.54% (2013–14) to 7% (2025–26).
  3. Digital Classrooms- Over 1.49 lakh schools covered under ICT initiatives; 1.76+ lakh smart classrooms and 1.79+ lakh ICT labs sanctioned (by March 2026).
  4. Grassroots Innovation- 10,000+ Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) engaging 1.1+ crore student innovators across 16+ lakh projects.

2)    Higher Education & Research-

  1. Total enrolment expanded from 3.4 crore (2014–15) to 4.5 crore (2023–24).
  2. Female Enrolment- Increased by 42.2% to reach 2.2 crore in 2023–24.
  3. Incubation- 85 Atal Incubation Centres (AICs) supported 2,900+ startups and generated 32,000+ jobs.

3)    Flexible Learning Frameworks & Portals-

  1. National Credit Framework (NCrF)- Adopted by 700+ universities and 7,500+ affiliated colleges.
  2. Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) & APAAR- 3,123 institutions onboarded with 35.27+ crore APAAR IDs issued.
  3. SWAYAM- 20,370+ courses with over 6.5 crore enrolments.
  4. DIKSHA- 19.06 crore enrolments and 13 crore certificates issued across 342 courses.

Skilling, Employment & Entrepreneurship

  1. Macro Trends- Overall unemployment rate declined from 7.71% (2014) to 4.2% (2025).
  2. Skill India Initiatives-
  1. PMKVY- Over 1.64 crore youth trained across four phases since 2015, prioritizing industry 4.0 sectors (AI, Robotics, Drones, Green Energy).
  2. Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS)- 36.48 lakh beneficiaries trained up to March 2026.
  3. NAPS (Apprenticeship)- 54.41+ lakh apprentices engaged up to March 2026.
  4. PM Internship Scheme- 1,64,902 internship opportunities created across 31 sectors.
  1. Institutional Skilling (PM-SETU)-
  1. Launched in October 2025 (Outlay- ₹60,000 crore) to modernize 1,000 Government ITIs using a Hub-and-Spoke model (200 hubs, 800 spokes).
  2. Growth (2014 to 2025)- ITIs expanded from 9,977 to 14,688 (enrolment from 9.5 lakh to 14.7 lakh); National Skill Training Institutes grew from 25 to 33; Institutes for Training of Trainers grew from 11 to 120.
  1. Startup India- Recognized startups rose from ~350 (pre-2014) to 2.47+ lakh (August 2026), establishing India as the 3rd largest startup ecosystem globally.

Sports Ecosystem & High-Performance Support

  1. Infrastructure & Grassroots-
  1. ₹3,176 crore approved for 349 sports infrastructure projects.
  2. Established 1,067 Khelo India Centres and 267 academies, supporting 2,745 athletes.
  3. 63,000+ athletes participated in various Khelo India Games editions (Youth, University, Winter, Para, Tribal, Beach, Water Sports) since 2018.
  1. Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS)-
  1. Supports 51 Core, 52 Para Core, and 130 Development athletes.
  2. Out-of-pocket allowance/stipend- ₹50,000/month (Core) and ₹25,000/month (Development).

3. Long-Term Outlay- Combined outlay of ₹36,441 crore allocated for revamped Khelo India and NSF support (2026–27 to 2030–31).

Health, Mental Well-being & Social Welfare

  1. Adolescent Healthcare-
  1. Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics (AFHCs)- Increased to 7,203; annual service reach increased to 82 lakh adolescents.
  1. Mental Health (Tele-MANAS)-
  1. Handled 43.70+ lakh calls via 53 cells, 23 mentoring institutes, and 5 Regional Coordinating Centres.
  1. Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA)-
  1. Reached 30.05+ crore individuals (including 11.86 crore youth).
  2. 28.56+ lakh educational institution activities conducted; 28.29+ lakh individuals supported through treatment and rehabilitation.

Source: PIB