Apparently with an eye on the coming general elections, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday here dedicated the first Odisha State Youth Policy-2013 to the State's 42 per cent population constituting youth with special emphasis on the development of the SCs, STs, girls, minority and vulnerable segment.
Releasing the youth document that promises to create more opportunities for young men and women through quality education, enhanced opportunities for entrepreneurship and employment with consistent emphasis on social inclusion and gender equality, the Chief Minister announced that the State Government would provide all the meritorious students at Plus II level with free laptops to make them computer savvy.
Pointing out that capacity building through education and training is an important aspect of the new youth policy, the Chief Minister announced that in order to bridge the digital divide, all meritorious students at Plus II level would be provided with free laptops. Under the initiative, a special focus would also be given to girls and students belonging to SC and ST communities, he asserted. Besides, scholarship for higher education and professional education will be given to students with emphasis on STs, SCs and deserving girl students for pursuing technical education, he said, adding that all the ST girl students would be provided conveyance allowance to attract them to school and check drop out.
The Chief Minister also announced that career counselling centers at all colleges would be set up to guide the students to choose a prospective career as per the policy framework. Besides, computer facilities will be developed in all the secondary schools to make the students in grass root level computer literate, he maintained.
Highlighting the features of the policy, the Chief Minister said that it laid focus on girls and young women, migrant youth, youth from ST,SC and minority groups, school drop-outs and unemployed youth, youth with disability and other disadvantaged youth including youth at risk, youth that suffer from moral or social stigma and youth in institutional care, orphanages and prisons.
Stating that the policy provided for creation of several new institutions and facilities and provision of financial assistance and incentives to youth, he said Biju Yuva Sha-Shaktikaran Yojana will be extended to rural areas, where in the youth clubs will be provided with financial support of Rs 10,000 each.
The policy also envisaged formation of Mission Yuva Shakti, a new initiative for young men on the lines of the Mission Sakti for women for promotion of Self Help Groups among the youth where they can explore their potential for their self employment, he said.
The Chief Minister also announced that the State Government would set up Sports Authority of Odisha as part of the new policy initiative for development of sports and physical education as well as personality development.
Notably, the State Youth and Sports department has formulated the Youth Policy with the technical and financial support of the United Population Fund. Over 14,000 participants representing different age groups, particularly the youth, were associated with the policy formulation process and more than 50 consultations were organised across the State within a span of 40 days to give final touch to the youth document apart from taking the feed backs from hundreds of thousands of others through the virtual platform, print and electronic media and social network.
Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Ramesh Chandra Majhi asserted that the Government would work towards chanellising the energy and enthusiasm of the youth for the development and progress of the State. Addressing the function, Fredrika Meijer, Country Representative of United Nations Population Fund described the Odisha Youth Policy as a milestone in the development of human capital and the first ever holistic visionary policy in the country. The intensive consultative process of formulation of the policy is to be shared at national and international level, she said.
Sports and Youth Services secretary I Srnivas said that the implementation of the youth policy would be reviewed regularly by a high powered committee headed by the Chief Minister. Necessary revision would be made in every three years time basing on the evaluation report of neutral agencies. Among others, a number of Ministers and senior officials of the State Government, youth icons and representatives of various youth organsisatons were present.