Survey shows Assam's youth unaware of Govt policies

Guwahati, Dec 2: In a youth survey conducted by a magazine in Assam, it was found that the State's youth lacked the knowledge of the Government policies and other major issues of national and international importance.

The survey was conducted by a monthly magazine 'Jibon' among 2270 students and youths in the age of 15-40 in more than a hundred villages and towns, with equal male-female ratio and proportionate urban-rural representation.

According to the survey, 95 per cent youth was found unaware of the separate ministry for Northeast (Department for North East Region), with 46 per cent even demanding such a ministry be created.

Seventy six per cent did not know where the North Eastern Council (NEC) was headquartered (in Shillong), with 29 per cent thinking such a council did not exist at all.

Another 51 per cent did not even know that Irom Sharmila, whose hunger strike for past couple of years against alleged army excesses has drawn international attention, was from Manipur, though 83 per cent knew where Kanaklata attained martyrdom.

Though 90 per cent know that Baichung Bhutia is a footballer, at least six per cent think that he is the king of Bhutan.

The youth were equally ignorant in international matters like brought Mohammad Yunus of Bangladesh the Nobel Prize in not known to 75 per cent, while 13 per cent think he got it for being a freedom fighter. Yunus was awarded with the Nobel Prize for micro-financing in the rural areas.

The survey also proved to be an eye opener when it came to lack of awareness among the state's youth regarding financial matters. As many a 38 per cent could not answer whether the RBI can print money on its own to make the country owner, with 15 per cent thinking that it can do so on the Finance minister's directive.
Fourty-five per cent of the youth did not know what sensex is related to as five per cent related it to sex and another four per cent to heartbeat. Though 64 per cent know what is a credit card, 14 per cent think it is a card for availing banks loans and 10 per cent think it is a guarantee card against bank loans.

In yet another finding, 38 per cent youth had no clue where the money come at the ATMs, with 13 per cent thinking that it came from the bank through satellite or wire and eight per cent thinking that ATMs' print currency.

As the country was projecting itself as an IT hub, the youth of Assam were found to be much ignorant about it. 36 per cent are not aware where the software is stored in a computer.

Only five per cent use emails regularly, 54 per cent never used email and 21 per cent of them want to, but do not know how to use the email.

In health matters the youths fared comparatively better with.93 per cent know in that jaundice is a water-borne disease and 91 per cent knew that kissing does not cause AIDS.

Editor of 'Jibon' Suresh Ranjan Goduka said such findings would help the policy makers to frame better youth policies so that the they become aware of the relevant issues.

UNI