About

A manifesto is more than a document. It is a promise made in public, a statement of what a society expects of itself and of those who govern it. Too often, policy is written about the young. The Uttar Pradesh Youth Manifesto is written by them.

Uttar Pradesh is India’s most populous state and one of its youngest. Its 75 districts hold very different realities: a student preparing for exams in a district town, a first-generation entrepreneur in a village, a young woman weighing whether her daily commute is safe, a graduate searching for a first job. Each of them knows exactly where policy works and where it falls short. Rarely do these experiences reach decision-makers in a form they can act on.

UPYM exists to change that. Organised by VYOM (Voice of Youth and Opinion Matters) in collaboration with SR Group of Institutions, it opens an online portal where young people can name a problem and propose a reform. Every submission sits under one of six pillars that shape life in the state: education, entrepreneurship and employment, sustainable development, rural and urban development, healthcare, and women’s safety.

Voice alone is not enough. It needs structure. District Ambassadors carry the call into every district of Uttar Pradesh. An academic evaluation panel then reviews each submission, separates the isolated complaint from the recurring concern, and consolidates them into key concerns and actionable recommendations. Together these form the Uttar Pradesh Youth Manifesto, which is declared and presented to the Government of Uttar Pradesh and relevant policymakers.

The best recommendation in each pillar will be recognised with an award and the opportunity to present the idea directly to policymakers, because good ideas deserve more than applause. They deserve an audience that can act.

UPYM is an invitation to observe, to propose and to be counted. Where the problems are local, the answers should be too, and they should travel all the way to the policy table.