News On Air | National Youth Conclave: Making Indian cities a better place to live & thrive

Mar 14,2023

The youth of a nation determine how to shape up future of the country, with their actions and determination. With the aim to bring together young minds to deliberate on India’s G20 engagement groups namely- Urban 20 (U20) and Youth 20 (Y20), along with its priority areas, India’s biggest youth summit- ‘National Youth Conclave’ has been organized from March 13-14. The Smart Cities Mission, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs(MoHUA), Department of Youth Affairs, and National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) are together conducting this conclave and the deliberation focuses on ‘How To Engage Youth In Indian Cities To Make Them A Better Place To Live and Thrive’.

The event has been organized under the aegis of India’s G20 presidency and aligns with the U20 and Y20 engagement groups. The event includes youth from all over the country, national leaders, experts, student researchers, and innovators coming together to discuss some of the pressing concerns.

The conclave offers an opportunity for young minds to learn from each other on how to make cities and communities livable and foster bright ideas for tomorrow. On the first day of the conclave, March 13, a message from Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Youth is the significant contributor in nation building.”

Deliberations on current existing challenges related to climate change
The youth participating in conclave discussed on what are the current existing challenges and also delved into various threats in sectors including, climate change, and healthcare. Since today’s youth will be the first generation to get most impacted by climate change, the conclave also saw deliberations on sustainable living and stressed adopting environmentally- responsible behaviour. They also shared views on required participation in democracy, and government. In terms of political participation, the youth recognises the need to get educated, become action-oriented, and put forward solid agenda for the Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal. Highlighting India’s G20 presidency, suggestions were to solve existential problems to achieve holistic prosperity and mitigate the risk of climate change.

India would be a world leader in all respects by 2047
During the conclave, Union Minister for Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) Hardeep Singh Puri said, the country’s start-up explosion is a testament to the entrepreneurial mindset that the youth has inspired in recent years. In terms of youth leadership development, the Minister informed that ninety thousand crores are spent by the government per year on several development initiatives. He also expressed his confidence saying that India would be a world leader in all respects by 2047 due to the youth dividend.

On March 10, Manoj Joshi, the secretary of MoHUA, also emphasized the significance of planning, finance, and administration, along with sustainability and demographic changes, in shaping what transpires in the Indian cities. He also mentioned that by 2047, 53% of Indians are anticipated to live in metropolitan areas, up from the current 35%.

During the U20 Inception meeting, it was highlighted that the urban population is on verge of getting doubled with about 400 million more population moving into cities. Hence, the future of urbanization and India’s prosperity hinges on what happens in the city and whether it leads to a sprawling of cities or a well-organized city. This conclave highlights the importance of Indian youth and their role in India’s urban development. Several initiatives to promote Indian youth have also been showcased during the event.






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