Youth study shows huge disparities among states

India prides itself on its overwhelmingly large youth population. But even as this population is expected to increase by 34 million during 2011-21, the country has largely ignored the needs of the youth, reveals the country’s first youth development index (YDI).
Made by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (Tiss), it shows that the average index for India is low (0.453). While Maharashtra (0.555) ranks fifth, Himachal Pradesh ranks first (0.590) in YDI, followed closely by Goa (0.588) and Delhi (0.587). Even as 21 states have YDI greater than the national average, Bihar ranks the lowest (0.383) among 29 states for which YDI was calculated.

“This is the first attempt in India to develop such an index and has been sponsored by the Rajiv Gandhi National Institute for Youth Development, Chennai. The aim was to assess the status of India’s youth and help identify the gaps which need policy intervention,” said professor Lata Narayan, who conducted the study along with professor Anil Kumar at Tiss.

The dimensions included education, work, health and amenities. “A YDI of 0.453 is low and gives the level of development of 41% of India’s population. When gender disparities in YDI are considered, the value is reduced further,” Narayan said.

“This indicates that the youth population needs greater attention from policy makers and programme planners. India as a whole has a relatively low value for education index and youth modern amenities index, with some states showing dismal performance,” Narayan said.

Maharashtra ranks sixth in education index, which has a national average of 0.413. The highest ranking states are Himachal Pradesh (0.611), Delhi (0.603) and Kerala (0.575). While 12 states have an education index lower than the national average, the lowest ranking states are Bihar (0.298), Jharkhand (0.315) and Rajasthan (0.325).

“The greatest concern is low gross enrolment ratio (GER), which indicates poor access at the secondary and tertiary levels of education. India has a long way to go before it can achieve ‘Vision 2020’ targets in terms of producing a youth force ready for the challenges of a globalised world,” the report says. Also, the country must move beyond the parameters of literacy and primary education as yardsticks of educational achievement. “The mere expansion of colleges and universities won’t achieve the desired results unless there is value addition in terms of quality and relevance,” the report says.

The report says that there is negative co-relation between education and work indices. “It is on expected lines. States with a high education index have a low work index as the youth in such states are still studying,” Narayan said.