11 Jul 2025 : Aiding India’s progress with choice, control and capital

Editorial 1: Aiding India’s progress with choice, control and capital

Context

With proper investment in education, skills, and access to healthcare, nutrition, and family planning, India’s youth can significantly drive the nation's growth.

Introduction

Now that the world’s population has crossed eight billion, it’s natural to focus on big global trends. But we also need to pay attention to vulnerable groups and people living on the margins. It’s important to keep the promise made at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) — to make sure everyone has the right to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health, without facing pressure, discrimination, or violence.

• This year, the United Nations has announced the theme for World Population Day as “Empowering young people to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world.” 
• The theme highlights the ICPD’s special focus on youth, affirming their right to accurate information, education, and services to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.
• It also reflects a simple but urgent need: to place youth at the centre when imagining the future, ensuring their freedom of choice and equal opportunities.

Home to the largest youth population

• According to UNICEF, India has 371 million youth aged 15 to 29 years, the largest youth population in the world.
• This large number puts pressure on existing resources and systems, but with proper investment in education, skills, healthcare, nutrition, and family planning, youth can become a key force for national progress.
• Unlocking this youth potential could increase India’s GDP by up to $1 trillion by 2030, according to World Bank and NITI Aayog projections.
• It would also help reduce unemployment and improve social outcomes across the country.
• India has seen progress through programs like ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ and the National Adolescent Health Programme, leading to a decline in child marriage and adolescent fertility rates.
• Despite this, challenges remain, such as:
  • Limited reproductive autonomy
  • Socio-cultural barriers
  • Gender inequality
  • These continue to limit the potential of many young people, especially young women.
• Child marriage rates have been cut in half since 2006 but still remain at 23.3% (as per NFHS-5, 2019–21).
• Teenage childbearing (ages 15–19) is at 7% nationally, but in some states, the rate is more than double, showing serious regional disparities.
• The UNFPA’s State of World Population Report 2025 reveals:
  • 36% of Indian adults experience unintended pregnancies
  • 30% have unmet reproductive goals (unable to decide the number of children they want)
  • 23% face both issues
• This points to an urgent need to expand access to reproductive health services and ensure freedom of choice for all.

Need for a Comprehensive Strategy

• A multi-pronged approach is essential to address the root causes of early marriage, teenage pregnancy, and disempowerment—not just the symptoms. The strategy must include:
  • Education
  • Access to contraception
  • Nutrition
  • Mental health support
  • Community empowerment
• Impact of Education

Project Udaan (Rajasthan, 2017–2022)

• Implementing Agency: IPE Global
• Key Features:
  • Promoted continued secondary education for girls
  • Leveraged government scholarships
  • Raised awareness on sexual and reproductive health
  • Increased access to modern contraceptives
  • Strengthened girls’ reproductive agency and voice

Advika Programme (Odisha, since 2019–20)

• Partners: Government of Odisha + UNICEF-UNFPA
• Strategies:
  • Strengthened state systems
  • Raised child protection awareness
  • Empowered adolescents via:
    • Education
    • Skill development
    • Leadership training

True Empowerment Goes Beyond Prevention

• Empowering adolescents—especially girls—means:
• Equipping them with education, skills, and opportunities
• Supporting their participation in decisions affecting them, including:
  • When to marry
  • Whether/when to have children
  • How to lead meaningful, independent lives
• Core Principle: Economic independence is key to lasting empowerment.

Project Manzil (Rajasthan, 2019–2025)

• Partners: IPE Global + Govt. of Rajasthan
• Approach:
  • Uses human-centred design to understand young women's aspirations
  • Aligns skill training accordingly
  • Provides access to dignified jobs in gender-friendly workplaces
  • Combats harmful social norms through behaviour change communication

• Impact:
  • Financial stability improved negotiation power
  • Many delayed marriage or chose on their own terms
  • Uplifted families and entire communities

Accelerating progress

• The State of World Population 2025 report highlights the importance of rights-based, multi-sectoral investments for sustainable progress.
• It stresses that true progress depends on universal access to:
  • Contraception
  • Safe abortion
  • Maternal health
  • Infertility care
• It also calls for removing structural barriers, including:
  • Lack of education
  • Inadequate housing
  • Childcare challenges
  • Rigid workplace structures
• The report emphasizes that targeted investments in the following areas bring measurable outcomes:
  • Girls’ education
  • Life-skills training
  • Conditional cash transfers
  • Community engagement
  • Health services
• Successful programmes like Udaan, Advika, and Manzil demonstrate how such investments can be effectively implemented to empower youth and shape a better future.

Conclusion

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has rightly emphasized the importance of this World Population Day as a moment to celebrate the potential and promise of the world’s largest-ever generation of youth. It serves as a reminder that young people have the right to shape their own futures—making informed decisions about their health, families, careers, and overall lives. As India stands at a crucial point in its development journey, its future success will largely depend on how effectively it responds to the aspirations of its youth. This includes actively amplifying the voices of young women and ensuring they have access to opportunities that empower them to contribute meaningfully to society.