Dhuwarakha Sriram, Chief of Generation Unlimited (YuWaah) and Youth Development and Partnerships at UNICEF

“India is one the youngest countries in the world. The Union budget’s focus on imparting supplementary education and building a resilient system for imparting education and skills is commendable. Skilling programs will be done in partnership with the industry, and the National skills qualification framework will be aligned with the dynamic needs of society. We applaud this step and propose a case for engaging with young people as indispensable partners from the conceptualization and planning stage, putting them at the centre for developing policies aimed at them.

The government’s focus on digital equality, particularly for the most marginalized young people, such as young women, people with disabilities, and young people in rural and remote areas, is a welcome move, given the learning loss we witnessed post-pandemic.

Initiatives of setting up Digital DESH ePortal, ‘One Class, One Channel’ under eVIDYA, and a Digital University will help young people access future skills and economic opportunities (jobs and entrepreneurship), contributing to nation-building and societies’ collective wellbeing. Additionally, the focus on providing access to these initiatives in Indian languages will lead to a wider, more inclusive impact.

The National Tele Mental Health Programme is another step towards helping young people thrive in the 21st century by developing emotional wellness and resilience.

Aligned with the Hon’ble PM’s vision of a new AatmaNirbhar Bharat, Young people have the potential to bring about positive change, spark innovation, drive economic growth, and create jobs of tomorrow. The time to support and nurture young India is now. How we meet the needs and aspirations of young people will define our shared future.”

Tara Singh Vachani – Managing Trustees – Max India Foundation 2.0

“Extremely pleased to hear about the increased budget allocation in the education sector from Rs. 88,002 crores to Rs. 1.04 lakh crores. It’s a much awaited and welcome move.

Initiatives like the ‘One class, one TV channel’ program of PM eVIDYA to expand from currently 12 to 200 TV channels will be a path-breaking step in bridging the digital divide and the learning loss that the pandemic has caused. On the other hand, providing supplementary education in regional languages for classes 1 to 12 will be fruitful in ensuring inclusive learning for the children of the country”

Ms. Sonali Khan, Managing Director  at Sesame Workshop India

“I think it’s a great step to extend “One class One tv”  to 200 channels. It will reduce the inequity in access to education for children without the internet and digital infrastructure while also making the content available to them in their local language. A National tele mental health program to support the mental wellbeing of families and revamp of 2 lakh Aanganwadi centers also holds strong relevance considering the impact the closure of schools and the pandemic has had on the lives of people. It will be good to link this back to the operationalization of NEP 2020’s compulsory education for children starting 3 years of age as part of the budget, who have been severely impacted by the pandemic in the most crucial way.”

Ashraf Patel, Co-founder, Pravah and ComMutiny

“We are glad to see efforts being made to address some of the major concerns plaguing young India by focusing on digitization of education and skilling and improving access to mental healthcare in the Union Budget 2022. The government’s initiative of setting up the ‘One Class, One TV Channel’ programme and a Digital University, will help increase digital literacy.

While, the National Tele Mental Health Programme is a step towards helping the youth dealing with mental health issues brought on by the pandemic, there is also a need for greater allocation of resources towards wellbeing in the education sector that strengthens psychosocial programming and enables young people to deal with the effects of COVID on their own wellbeing and societal wellbeing at large.

Furthermore, given the lack of awareness on mental health and the big mismatch between the demand and service providers; it is imperative to invest heavily on equipping many more professionals (psychologists, psychiatrists and counselors) by making mental health an exciting choice of education, especially for young people. With the need of at least 3 psychiatrists per 100,000 people in the country and the availability of 0.75 for said population, this investment will not only help in addressing the present need for mental health professionals but will also be a response facilitating preventive wellbeing at large.”