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Govt okays ‘MY Bharat’ platform for youth to boost volunteerism
The Union Cabinet has approved the establishment of a platform called "Mera Yuva Bharat" or MY Bharat to connect youth with government, private, and NGO schemes for volunteering opportunities. The platform will be launched on October 31 and will list all youth-related schemes by the government. It aims to improve service delivery and create a centralized youth database. The platform will focus on volunteerism and leadership development and will cater to all youth across rural, semi-urban, urban, national, and international areas. The budget allocation and physical aspect of the platform were not specified.
New Delhi: The Union Cabinet has approved the establishment of a platform for youth, “Mera Yuva Bharat” or MY Bharat, a phygital mechanism to connect youth across the country with appropriate government, private and NGO schemes for volunteering opportunities, Union minister Anurag Thakur said on Wednesday.
The platform will be launched on October 31, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
All youth-related schemes by the government will be listed on the platform and it will “improve the efficiency of service delivery of the government”, a government press release said. It will be a “one-stop platform ... to engage with the youth”, the release said, adding that through this platform, “a centralized youth database can be created, which can be used in the national interest”.
Addressing reporters on the Cabinet decision, Thakur, the minister for youth affairs and sports, said that about 400 million Indians are between 15 and 29 years of age.
When asked whether there will be any financial incentives or entrepreneurship opportunities available on the platform, Thakur said this is for youth who “are not driven by money”.
“Here, no one is given money to work” and the aim is “to promote volunteerism,” he said. “MY Bharat will be used for leadership development amongst the youth.”
MY Bharat platform will help fulfil the voluntary community participation aspect of the National Education Policy, 2020, Thakur said. The platform will also list opportunities for youth parliament, and national and international exchange programmes.
The minister also explained the difference between the platform and other existing youth programmes, saying: “The Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan is only for rural youth. MY Bharat is for all youth across rural, semi-urban, urban, national and international areas.”
The Nehru Yuva Kendras were set up in 1972 to provide personality and skill development opportunities for rural youth.
Thakur, however, did not specify how much budget has been allocated for the physical aspect of MY Bharat, and what this physical aspect would look like.
