Summary

The web content discusses the role of India's youth in shaping the country's future, emphasizing their literacy, independence, entrepreneurial spirit, and the challenges they face, particularly unemployment.

Abstract

The article "Literate, independent, entrepreneurs — Youth building the future of India" presents an Indian perspective on the future, highlighting the importance of the country's youth as envisioned by Swami Vivekananda. It underscores the significance of National Youth Day, celebrated on January 12th, in honoring Vivekananda's belief in youth empowerment. The youth of today are characterized by a desire for independence, a strong focus on education, and a drive to leverage the internet for personal and national development. Despite the challenges, such as high youth unemployment rates compared to other Asian nations, India's youth are making strides in literacy and entrepreneurship, with a significant number aspiring to study abroad and a burgeoning startup ecosystem that includes over 81 unicorns. The article calls for the youth to embody Vivekananda's values and contribute to the nation's economic growth.

Opinions

The youth's pursuit of independence is crucial for personal growth and nation development.
Education is highly valued by Indian youth, with a majority expressing interest in higher studies abroad.
The internet is seen as a key driver for success, with its usage expected to contribute to a digital workforce and economic growth.
The Indian youth are recognized as innovators and leaders, with examples of individuals heading global companies.
Unemployment is a significant challenge facing India's youth, with a call to reduce youth unemployment to below 10%.
The high youth literacy rate, combined with technological and social media proficiency, is seen as a pathway to global success.
The rise of startups in India, spread across various districts and industries, indicates the youth's entrepreneurial spirit and early career engagement.
The article encourages the youth to be inspired by Swami Vivekananda's teachings and to actively participate in economic reforms and development.

Literate, independent, entrepreneurs — Youth building the future of India

An Indian perspective on the future

“A brave, frank, clean-hearted, courageous and aspiring youth is the only foundation on which the future nation can be built.”

These words are by Swami Vivekananda, a vivacious, inspiring, and kind-hearted social reformer, modern thinker, and philosopher whose beliefs, philosophies, and words are embraced globally. He was a firm believer in the power that the youth of the country holds, and was of the opinion that empowering this youth can paint the future bright for any country.

Hence, instigated the “National Youth Day” which is celebrated on 12th January every year — the birthday of Swami Vivekananda. This day pays tribute to his ideas, empowers the youth, and motivates them to follow the way towards success with zeal and zest that is unmatched.

#Trending in our Youth today? Trends driving our youth are going to be the trends that will drive our country.

Independent: Becoming independent is of utmost importance to the youth of today. They don’t want to rely on others to sustain them, and their topical mindset is to put their work first. They want to be recognized individually and lead to simultaneous character and nation development.

Education: In a recent study done by the education hub, Leverage Edu, it was revealed that over 94% of the youth want to pursue higher studies abroad. Reflecting on the importance of education in their lives. They want to be aware of the world’s problems and create ingenious solutions that might put an end to them. The youth wants to be well versed in vocational, professional, and intellectual aspects. This, in turn, provides better living conditions, higher purchasing power, and boosts economic growth.

Internet-driven: Success and the internet are intertwined for today’s youth. With over 50% of Indian internet users, there is a massive untapped potential that the youth is looking to harvest to grow, learn, and earn from. This will lead to a digital workforce, which is already set in motion by the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic has led to over 74% of people being keen to work remotely rather than carrying on a rigid office schedule. Indeed, the internet will play a pivotal role in the rising economy and empowering the youth.

The power of Indian youth and the biggest challenge

The Indian youth is headlining the nation with their innovation and acting as a catalyst for the development. And if the evidence of their global feat is not clear evidence of that, there are examples of Indian youth leading the path of global conglomerates such as Goggle, Twitter, Microsoft are sufficient.

India is a fast progressing nation with most of the demographic being contributed by the youth. Young people aged below 25 accounts for 54% of the total population. While the working population (15 to 59) accounts for 62.5% of the total population. The young generation of India is the torchbearer for the country to develop and lead it.

We have to address and overcome the most important problem that looms upon the future — UNEMPLOYMENT. It often hinders the dreams of the young generation even before they take off. As of last year, over 24.40% of the youth in India were unemployed. Every 1 in 4 young individuals in our country is unemployed.

Compared to other developed Asian nations such as South Korea (5.5%), Japan (4.2%) the numbers are significantly higher. Reaching below 10% youth unemployment is the “North Star” for a country like ours. These rates suggest that we have to cover a long road before we come closer to harnessing the full potential of our youth.

Our youth is ready and solving the problem

As per the World Bank, the youth literacy rate in India is at 92% (Surprised :). And when we combine that number with the technologically driven, social media savvy age, there is clear evidence of reaching absolute literacy, and chances for unprecedented success globally.

Democratization of information and education driven by youtube driven learning is allowing the youth to take the charge and create impact. This has made, India the third-largest nation in the startup space. We have 81 unicorns, having a collective valuation of $274.17 billion. In addition, we have 70+ Soonicorns working hard to become unicorns.

This story is not concentrated in the top 6 metros of the country. There are 60,770 DPIIT recognized startups in India as of December 2021 spread across 636 districts (Of the total 748 districts in India) in industries such as healthcare, IT, education, agriculture, etc. The median age of startup founders is 31 years. This is a clear indicator that the young generation is starting early and building its own career and contributing to nation-building.

Final thoughts

On this National Youth Day, the Indian youth should strive to follow the path that was endorsed by Swami Vivekananda. They should instigate reforms that would trigger momentous development in the economy.

On the birth of such a notable personality who spread the word of wisdom throughout the world, it is essential that the young generation ponder upon his views and implement the spark, knowledge, and resilience into the creation of something concrete!