‘Amrit Peedhi, creators of opportunities’: Developed India rests on the youth’s well-being

PIcture an bharat where loretta young innovators from little towns ar edifice companies with global customers, where daughters from villages are standing on national and international sporting podiums, and where students from Tier-II and Tier-III cities are presenting ideas on platforms that connect them directly with policymakers, industry leaders and investors. This is no longer a distant aspiration. It is the lived reality of a young nation on the move.With nearly 65% of its population below the age of 35, India possesses a demographic advantage unparalleled among major economies. Over the past decade, India has steadily expanded opportunities for young people across education, skilling, entrepreneurship, sports, health and civic participation. This is India’s Amrit Peedhi, the generation that will lead the journey towards Viksit Bharat by 2047.Education has been central to this transformation. The National Education Policy 2020 places strong emphasis on experiential learning, skill integration and multidisciplinary flexibility. Higher education enrollment has risen by over 30%, reflecting both expanding access and rising aspiration. Equally important has been the growing inclusivity of the system. Residential schooling initiatives, scholarship schemes, and institutional support have continued to reduce financial barriers and widen the doors of opportunity. Technology has further democratised access to learning. Digital platforms such as SWAYAM, DIKSHA and PM e-VIDYA are bringing quality educational content to millions of students. This has ensured that geography is no longer a barrier as it once was.ALSO READ | India’s youth nation’s greatest strength: Union ministerYet, education alone is not sufficient. The ability to continuously acquire and upgrade skills has become equally important. Through the Skill India Mission, more than six crore young people have been trained across sectors. With the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), the focus has shifted towards industry-aligned and future-ready skilling. Jan Shikshan Sansthans have been oriented towards local demand-based skilling, while apprenticeship-based learning has expanded under the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme, where the government supports partial payment of stipends. Industrial Training Institutes are also being modernised to align with emerging technologies and industry needs.This convergence of education, skilling and technology is especially significant at a time when new sectors such as Artificial Intelligence, semiconductors and sustainability technology, are reshaping the global economy. The challenge before India is to equip its youth to lead in industries that will define the future.Young Indians are increasingly becoming creators of opportunities rather than merely seekers of employment. Perhaps the most striking transformation in recent years has been the rise of entrepreneurship among young Indians. From just around 350 startups before 2014, India now has over 2.3 lakh recognised startups, making it the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem. It also has more than 120 unicorns, reflecting the growing depth and maturity of India’s innovation ecosystem.ALSO READ | India trusts its youth to lead country to greater heights: J&K LGInitiatives such as Startup India have helped remove regulatory barriers, simplify compliance, support incubation and enable faster formalisation of new enterprises. Young people today are more willing to take ideas to the market, build enterprises and solve local problems with scalable solutions.Access to finance has also been significantly strengthened. Through MUDRA Yojana, collateral-free credit has been made available at scale, enabling first-generation entrepreneurs to take their first step into business. Under the scheme, over 57 crore loans worth ₹40 lakh crore have been sanctioned, empowering small entrepreneurs and self-employed youth across the country.Initiatives such as Stand-Up India have expanded this support further, particularly for women entrepreneurs and marginalised communities, ensuring that enterprise is not limited by social or economic background.India’s digital public infrastructure, ranging from UPI to Aadhaar-enabled services, has reduced transaction costs, improved access to markets and allowed even small enterprises to participate in the formal economy. Digital payments, e-governance platforms and technology-enabled service delivery have helped young people access finance, learning, markets and government services with greater ease. Together with incubation networks, innovation hubs and state-level startup policies, this has created an environment where ideas can be tested, scaled and sustained.As a result, entrepreneurship is increasingly emerging from Tier-II and Tier-III cities, reflecting a deep democratisation of opportunity. For young India, entrepreneurship is becoming not only a means of livelihood, but also a vehicle for innovation, dignity and self-confidence.Aspirations are equally visible in sports and in the pursuit of physical and mental well-being. Khelo India has strengthened grassroots sports infrastructure, with more than 1,000 Khelo India Centres now operational across the country, supporting thousands of young athletes. These efforts are reflected in India’s improving global sporting performance. Access to mental health support through Tele-MANAS has created an important channel for counselling and assistance. Campaigns such as the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan have reached crores of young people across districts and educational institutions, promoting awareness around substance abuse. A truly developed India rests on the physical, emotional and social well-being of its young citizens.ALSO READ | Youth, digital life and the weight of unseen stressIn his Independence Day address in 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi articulated a vision of bringing one lakh young people from non-political backgrounds into the mainstream of politics. The Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue has emerged as one of the most distinctive and large-scale platforms for youth participation and engagement in the country.At the same time, MY Bharat has emerged as a powerful movement to inspire a spirit of service and nation-building among young people. Today, it has built a network of over 2.18 crore registered youth volunteers. It reflects a larger shift in which citizenship is understood not only as a set of rights, but also as a responsibility to serve, participate and build.The future of the country will be written not for young people, but by them. History offers nations only a few moments when demographics, technology and aspiration converge. India stands at such a moment today; the aspirations of its youth will not simply shape Viksit Bharat; they will define it.Mansukh Mandaviya is Union minister for youth affairs and sports, and labour and employment. The views expressed are personal.