Shillong, July 19: The cabinet has approved the Meghalaya Youth Policy 2021 and it will be notified soon.
The policy drafted by the Sports and Youth Affairs Department is in sync with the government’s vision to transform Meghalaya to be among the top 10 states in 10 years.
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma told reporters after the cabinet meeting that it was necessary for the government to come out with a clear policy on how to channelise the energy of the youths.
The policy aims to address major issues and concerns of the youth based on nine identified key thrust areas that includes education, health & wellbeing, counselling & mentoring, employment skill development & entrepreneurship, sports, cultural & creative industries, engagement & leadership, inclusion and environmental consciousness.
The policy has planned implementation of 45 programmes that would be measured by 54 performance monitoring indicators.
“We are happy to announce Meghalaya’s Youth Policy 2021 that provides a systematic framework for youth engagement and provides equal opportunities to all young men and women for their socio-economic development, and in turn contribute in enhancing the per capita income of the state and in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the state,” Conrad said.
The policy includes planned interventions covering lifecycle of a youth that includes early childhood interventions implemented through various plans and policies like Early Childhood Education Mission, Meghalaya School Improvement Plan (MSIP), Health upgradation programmes like FIT India, sports infrastructure upgradation, setup academies of excellence in the area of arts and culture, and recognition of key achievements in sports, arts and culture.
Meghalaya has a population of around 38.29 lakh people, of which over 74% percent i.e. 28.48 lakhs are under the age of 35 years. While the primary focus remains on youth belonging to ages of 15-29 years, critical issues and programmes relating to the age group of 5-14 years will also be emphasized and made part of the overall youth development framework.
