Government Youth Development Initiatives Achieve Scale
The PIB backgrounder documents India's comprehensive youth development programs across education, skilling, employment, and health sectors. The MY Bharat platform, launched in October 2023 for youth aged 15-29, has registered 2.22 crore youth as of July 2026, offering 1.52 lakh volunteering opportunities and 24,900 experiential learning programs connecting youth with governance, healthcare, media, technology and public service.
Education Infrastructure Expansion
India's education system serves 24.72 crore students across 14.67 lakh schools supported by 1.02 crore teachers. The secondary-school dropout rate declined significantly from 14.54% in 2013-14 to 7% in 2025-26. Digital infrastructure includes 1.49 lakh schools covered under ICT initiatives with 1.76 lakh smart classrooms and 1.79 lakh ICT laboratories sanctioned by March 2026. Higher education enrolment increased from 3.4 crore in 2014-15 to 4.5 crore in 2023-24, with female enrolment growing 42.2% since 2014-2015 to 2.2 crores.
Skilling and Employment Outcomes
The Skill India Mission has empowered over 6 crore people through various initiatives. The unemployment rate declined from 7.71% in 2014 to 4.2% in 2025. Specific programs include Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana training 1.64 crore youth across four phases since 2015, Jan Shikshan Sansthan training 36.48 lakh people till March 2026, and National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme engaging 54.41 lakh apprentices till March 2026. The Prime Minister's Internship Scheme provided 1,64,902 internship opportunities across 31 sectors as of 12th August 2026.
Startup and Entrepreneurship Growth
India's startup ecosystem expanded dramatically from about 350 startups before 2014 to more than 2.47 lakh by August 2026, making India the world's third-largest startup ecosystem. Atal Incubation Centres have created 32,000+ jobs and supported over 2,900 startups.
Digital Education Infrastructure
The National Credit Framework has been adopted by more than 700 universities and over 7,500 affiliated colleges. The Academic Bank of Credits has onboarded 3,123 institutions and issued more than 35.27 crore APAAR IDs. SWAYAM platform offers 20,370 courses with 6.5 crore+ enrolments, while DIKSHA has recorded 19.06 crore enrolments across 342 courses with 15.02 crore completions and 13 crore certificates issued.
Sports Development Investment
The sports sector has seen significant investment with 349 infrastructure projects worth ₹3,176 crore approved under Khelo India scheme, alongside 1,067 Khelo India Centres and 267 academies. The revamped Khelo India Scheme and enhanced support for National Sports Federations have a combined outlay of ₹36,441 crore for 2026-27 to 2030-31. The Target Olympic Podium Scheme supports 51 Core, 52 Para Core and 130 Development athletes with monthly stipends of ₹50,000 and ₹25,000 respectively.
Healthcare and Wellness Initiatives
Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics increased from 6,619 in 2014-15 to 7,203 in 2021-22, with adolescents receiving services rising from 39 lakh to 82 lakh in the same period. Tele-MANAS has handled over 43.70 lakh calls through 53 cells. Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan has reached over 30.05 crore people including 11.86 crore youth, with over 28.56 lakh activities in educational institutions and 28.29 lakh persons receiving treatment and rehabilitation support.