1. What is India’s biggest social
challenge today and how can the
Indian youth contribute towards
solving it?- p roject
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14’-15’
Kiran Teresa Kaith
NIIT Behala Centre
14’-15’

2. India couldbe 40 times bigger by 2050, andmay also have the potential to be larger than the
US by that time. To achieve this, however, India needs to implement many changes. These
are the findings of a global research report on 'Ten Things for India to Achieve its 2050
Potential', brought out by JimO'Neill, HeadGlobal
Research at Goldman Sachs, andTushar Poddar, V-P
Research, Asia Economic Research Teamat Goldman
Sachs India. The reports lists a number of things for
India to do, such as improving its governance,
controlling inflation, introducingcredible fiscal
policy, liberalising financial markets and
increasing trade with its neighbours. 'Deliveryof all
these andmore would ensurestrong, persistent,
medium-to-long-term growth, allowing India to reach
its amazing potential,' it says. Here are the 10 top
challenges for India
The Governance
Without better governance, delivery systems andeffective implementation, India will find it
difficult to educate its citizens, build
its infrastructure, increase
agricultural productivityandensure
that the fruits of economic growth are
well established. Governance
problems stemfromthe increasing
inabilityof the government and

3. public institutions to deliver public services in the face of rising expectations. A large gap
between physical access to services andthe quality of services provided is leadingto a citizen
satisfaction gap.
Education
Among more micro factors, raising India's educational achievement is a major requirement to
help achieve the nation's potential. Accordingto the basic indicators, a vast number of
India's young people receive no (or only the
most basic) education. A major effort to
boost basic education is needed. A
number of initiatives, such as a
continued expansion of Prathamand
the introduction of Teach First, for example,
shouldbe pursued.

4. Control
Inflation
For a nation that is rightly proud of its democracyand has a history of reasonable
stability in terms of inflation, formal Inflation Targeting (IT) shouldbecome a centrepiece
of a clearer, more definedandcredible medium-termframeworkfor macroeconomic
stability. As part of this, greater independence for the Reserve Bank of India andthe
abolishment of all FX controls arerecommended. We are well aware of some of the
difficulties, both real andperceived, for India to adopt these choices, but it is in India's
best long-terminterests to undertake these steps. IT has given major benefits to a broad
varietyof countries, ranging from'developed' countries (such as NewZealand, Sweden
and the UK) to 'developing' ones (such as Brazil, Korea andSouth Africa). For India,
there are probablybroader powerful benefits.
ImproveEnvironmentalQuality
India's high population density,extreme climate and economic dependence on its natural
resource basemake environmental sustainability critical in maintaining its development path.

5. History is replete
with instances of
societies that have
depleted their
natural resources in
the course of their
development,
thereby leading to
severe loss of
growth, andin some
spectacular cases
(e.g., Easter Island)
a complete collapse of the civilization.Although such dire prognostications are premature,
urbanisation, industrialisation and ongoing global climate change will take a heavy toll on
India's environment, if not managedbetter.
Economic
Issues
Poverty
Religious
Violence

6. Poverty
India suffers from
substantial poverty According to
World Bank's estimates on
poverty based on 2005 data, India
has 456 million people, 41.6%of its
population, living below
the new international povertyline
of $1.25 (PPP) perday. The world
Bank further estimates that 33%
of the global poor now reside in
India. Moreover, India also has
828 million people, or 75.6%of the population living below$2 a day, compared to 72.2% for
Sub-Saharan Africa. Official figures estimate that 27.5%of Indians lived belowthe national
poverty line in 2004–2005. A 2007 report by the state-run National Commission for
Enterprises in the UnorganizedSector (NCEUS) found that 25%of Indians, or 236million
people, livedon less than 20 rupees perday with most working in "informal labour sector
with no job or social security, living in abject poverty.”

7. ReligiousViolence
Constitutionally India is a secular state, but large-scale violence have periodically occurred in
India since independence. In recent decades, communal tensions and religion-based politics have
become more prominent. In Jammu & Kashmir, since March 1990, estimates of between
250,000 to 300,000 pandits have migrated outside Kashmir due to persecution by Islamic
Fundamentalists in the largest case of ethnic cleansing since the partition of India. The
proportion of Kashmiri Pandits in the
Kashmir valley has declined from
about 15% in 1947 to, by some
estimates, less than 0.1% since the
insurgency in Kashmir took on a
religious and sectarian flavor. Many
Kashmiri Pandits have been killed by
Islamic terrorists in incidents such as
the Wandhama massacre and the 2000
Amarnath Pilgrimage massacre. In
1990s, violent attacks on Christians in
India were reported. The acts of
violence include arson of churches,
forced conversion of Christians to
Hinduism, distribution of threatening
literature, raping of nuns, murder of Christian priests and destruction of Christian schools,
colleges, and cemeteries. The Sangh Parivar and related organisations have stated that the
violence is an expression of "spontaneous anger" of "vanvasis" against "forcible conversion"
activities undertaken by missionaries, a claim described as "absurd" and rejected by scholars.
Between 1964 and 1996, thirty-eight incidents of violence against Christians were reported.In
1997, twenty-four such incidents were reported. In 2007 and 2008 there was a further flare up of
tensions in Odisha, the first following the Christians' putting up a Pandhal in land traditionally
used by Hindus and the second after the unprovoked murder of a Hindu Guru and four of his
disciples while observing Janmashtami puja. This was followed by an attack on a 150-year-old
church in Madhya Pradesh and more attacks in Karnataka.

9. The role of youth is of most importance in today’s time. It has underplayed itself in fieldof
politics. It should become aspiring entrepreneur rather than mere workers. It can play a vital
role in elimination of terrorism. Young participation is important because youth are the
country’s power. Youth recognize problems andcan solve them. Youthare strong forces in
social movements. They educate children about their rights. Theyhelpother young people
attain a higher level of Intellectual abilityand to become qualified adults. The youth are the
most vital human resource of the nation on whomthe present and future of the country
depend. The Department of Youth Affairs andSports is implementing a number of schemes
for youth development. Our Five Year Plans have also laidemphasis on the importance of
the youth in national development, the needs of the youth and training of the youth
leadership and to harness their vast potential for creative causes.A National Youth Policy
was framed in the Seventh Plan and a plan of action formulated in 1992. The National Youth
Policyseeks to provide the youth with new opportunities to participate in nation building.
The responsibilityfor change, progress and innovation lies on today’s youth shoulders. Youth
can make or mar society. The educatedyouthshould initiatesteps to teach the illiterate
people in their neighborhood. Theycouldteach themelementaryreading and writing and
also educate themabout hygiene and the needfor cleanliness. Theyshould also be informed
about the harmful effects of drinking, smoking andchewing tobacco. Lowstatus of women
in society, highdegree of illiteracyand denial of basic amenities to the rural folkhas been a
result of unawareness among the masses about their rights and privileges. The schemes
framedby the government for their benefit never reach the needy. Theeducated youth
shouldinitiate steps to teach theilliterate people in their neighborhood. Theycouldteach
themelementary reading andwriting andalso educate themabout hygiene andthe needfor
cleanliness. They should also be informed about theharmful effects of drinking, smoking and
chewing tobacco. The government has become conscious of theneed to tap the youth power.

10. With the lowering of the voting ageto 18 years, the youth have suddenly become politically
important because they can decisivelytilt the political scales in a general election. Realizing
this, all the political parties are tryingto woo the youth by including the issues relating to the
youth in their political agenda. The youth should not become a pawn in the hands of the
politicians, but should remain judicious. The youth shouldcast their vote after serious
deliberations on the character and policies of the politicians. Undoubtedly, in the India of
tomorrowthe youthare going to playa decisive role in choosing their leaders.
-“Youth is the joy, the little bird that has broken out of the eggs and is
eagerly waiting to spread out its wings in the open sky of freedom and hope.”