Youth are a huge resource
India has 356-400 million 10-24 year-olds, the number stands highest across the world. Apart from this over 50% of Indians are less than 25 years of age and 65% are more than 35 years.
Given these figures India can boast about having a huge chunk of population that stands in their prime youth. As of 2026, the young accounts for around 23.79% of the total population.
However, today youth are facing many issues. The challenges vary from country to country, but there are some basic issues that affect them all. These challenges impact their well-being, opportunities and the overall future.
Many young people lack access to quality education, which can limit their future opportunities. This happens mostly in the third world and developing nations where access to education is a challenge for those who are braving hostilities, wars and poverty.
Besides, access to education youth also faces unemployment and underemployment-which are proving even more significant concerns, particularly in economies with limited job opportunities.
All this is leading the youth to face mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression as these incidences are increasingly prevalent among the young people. Besides, many young people face discrimination and marginalization based on their identity, background, or circumstances.
Importantly, addressing these challenges will require a comprehensive approach that involves governments, educators, employers, and communities working together to support the well-being and success of young people.
In Jammu and Kashmir the young aged people too are affected by the menace and many are resorting to taking an extreme step by ending their lives. Even experts have expressed serious concern over the trend, describing the situation as dangerous and calling for serious measures to be taken to tackle the issue.
The situation can be judged from the fact that the IMHANS-operated Tele-MANAS helpline, launched in 2022 to offer mental health support across Jammu and Kashmir, has received over one lakh distress calls so far.
Experts are calling for a multi-tiered approach involving schools, communities, and government institutions to tackle the mental health epidemic in Kashmir before it claims more lives.
Besides, a disturbing pattern of student suicides is being reported and these tragedies underscored the urgent need for a more robust, comprehensive and responsive mechanism to address various factors which compel students to resort to taking their own lives.
The recurring instances of student suicides in higher educational institutions, including private educational institutions, serve as a grim reminder of the inadequacy and ineffectiveness of the existing legal and institutional framework in addressing mental health concerns of students on campuses and to prevent the students from taking the extreme step of committing suicides.
Suicides by young men can have a profound impact on a society, affecting various aspects of community life, social structures, and individual well-being.
The biggest loss to the society is the loss of human capital. The death of young men can result in a significant loss of human capital, as they are often in their most productive years.
